Thurgau is part ofEastern Switzerland. It is named after the riverThur, and the nameThurgovia was historically used for a larger area, including part of this river's basin upstream of the modern canton. The area of what is now Thurgau was acquired as subject territories by the cantons of theOld Swiss Confederacy from the mid 15th century. Thurgau was first declared a canton in its own right at the formation of theHelvetic Republic in 1798.
The population, as of December 2020[update], is 282,909.[2] In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 resident foreigners, constituting 19.9% of the population.[5]
In the sixth century,Thurgovia became aGau ofFrancia as part ofAlamannia, passing to theDuchy of Swabia in the early 10th century. At this time,Thurgovia included not just what is now the canton of Thurgau, but also much of the territory of the moderncanton of St. Gallen, theAppenzell and the eastern parts of thecanton of Zurich.
TheOld Swiss Confederacy, allied with ten freedbailiwicks of the formerToggenburg, seized the lands of the Thurgau from the Habsburgs in 1460, and it became a subject territory of seven Swiss cantons (Zurich, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Zug and Glarus).
During the ProtestantReformation in Switzerland, both the Catholic and emerging Reformed parties sought to swing the subject territories, such as the Thurgau, to their side. In 1524, in an incident that resonated across Switzerland, local peasants occupied the cloister ofIttingen in Thurgau, driving out monks, destroying documents, and devastating the wine-cellar. Between 1526 and 1531, most of the Thurgau's population adopted the new Reformed faith spreading from Zurich; Zurich's defeat in the 1531Second War of Kappel ended Reformed predominance. Instead, the First Peace of Kappel protected both Catholic andReformed worship, though the provisions of the treaty generally favored the Catholics, who also made up a majority among the seven ruling cantons. Religious tensions over the Thurgau were an important background to theFirst War of Villmergen (1656), during which Zurich briefly occupied the Thurgau.
In 1798, the land became a canton for the first time as part of theHelvetic Republic. In 1803, as part of theAct of Mediation, the canton of Thurgau became a member of the Swiss confederation. Thecantonal coat of arms was designed in 1803, based on the coat of arms of the Kyburg family, which ruled the Thurgau in the 13th century, changing the background to green-and-white, at the time considered "revolutionary" colours (cf.tricolour); as the placement of a yellow (or) charge on white (argent) is a violation of heraldic principles, there have been suggestions to modify the design, including a 1938 suggestion to use a solid green field divided by a diagonal white line, but they were unsuccessful.
On March 26, 1806, Thurgau became the first state in the world to introduce compulsorysmallpox vaccinations, by order of the cantonal councillorJakob Christoph Scherb.[6][7]
The current cantonal constitution of Thurgau dates from 1987.
The canton is located in theSwiss Plateau. Having an area of 991 km2 (383 sq mi), it is commonly divided into three hill masses. One of these, theSeerücken, stretches along the shores of Lake Constance in the north. Another one, which includes theImmenberg, is further inland between the rivers Thur and Murg. The third one forms the southern border of the canton and merges with theHohgrat, the canton's highest mountain, andHörnli in thePrealps (orAppenzell Alps).
The population of the canton (as of 31 December 2020) is 282,909.[2] The canton is mostlyGerman speaking. The population (as of 2000[update]) is split betweenProtestants (45%) andRoman Catholics (36%).[8]
The five districts, since 2011 (left), and the eight former districts, prior to 2011 (right)
Since January 2011, Thurgau has been divided into five districts which are named after their capitals. Before this date, there were eight districts - (Steckborn District,Bischofszell District andDiessenhofen District formed their own districts with their surrounding municipalities).[10]
The canton of Thurgau is known for its agricultural produce. Particularly, apples, pears. The manyorchards in the canton are mainly used for the production of cider.Wine is produced in theThur valley.
There is also industry in the canton of Thurgau (e.g.Stadler Rail inBussnang). The main industries are printing, textiles and handicrafts. Small and middle-sized businesses are important for the cantonal economy. Many of these are concentrated around the capital.
