Diessenhofen | |
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 Coat of arms | |
Location of Diessenhofen  | |
  Diessenhofen  Diessenhofen | |
| Coordinates:47°41′N8°45′E / 47.683°N 8.750°E /47.683; 8.750 | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Canton | Thurgau |
| District | Frauenfeld |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.0 km2 (3.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 398 m (1,306 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2018)[2] | |
• Total | 3,998 |
| • Density | 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (Central European Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time) |
| Postal code(s) | 8253 |
| SFOS number | 4545 |
| ISO 3166 code | CH-TG |
| Localities | Willisdorf |
| Surrounded by | Schlatt (TG),Basadingen-Schlattingen |
| Website | www SFSO statistics |
Diessenhofen is a village and amunicipality inFrauenfeld District in thecanton ofThurgau inSwitzerland. The village is situated on the south shore of theHigh Rhine just opposite the German town ofGailingen am Hochrhein.
Diessenhofen is first mentioned in 757 asDeozincova.[3] In 2000, the village of Willisdorf was incorporated into the municipality. The earliest traces of a settlement areStone andBronze Age scattered objects found in the shallow valleys of the district and on the banks of theRhine. A hoard of coins from theRoman era (251–270), and the remains of three towers of theDanube-Iller-Rheinlimes (4th century) show Roman settlements in the area. The reference in a deed of theAbbey of St. Gall from 757 mention anAlamanni village, which was probably on the plateau south of the church. In 1178 Count Hartmann III ofKyburg, raised the village to town and probably appointed aMinisterialis (unfree knights in the service of afeudal overlord) family as the Stewards of Diessenhofen. By 1245, at the latest, it was the center of abailiwick and a castle was built in town. Compared toSchaffhausen andStein am Rhein, Diessenhofen was a modestmarket town. Hartmann granted the town a measure of freedom and self-government. He used the castle and bridge over the Rhine to secure and defend his possessions on both sides of the Rhine. After the extinction of the Kyburgs and the transition of sovereignty to theHabsburgs in 1264, the city developed as one of the cornerstones of the region. The Stewards, who sat atUnterhof Castle, temporarily united both theVogt andSchultheiss offices into a single person. By 1320 the citizens chose a Town Council of 8–12 members, and during the 15th century this evolved into a 24–28 member Grand Town Council. In 1349, theDuke of Austria wrestled the Vogt office away from the Stewards and granted it to another Ministerialis. These two developments made citizenship rights in Diessenhofen increasingly important.[3]
The loss of Habsburg influence and the decline of the Habsburg supported Stewards gradually transformed the city between 1415 and 1442. Diessenhofen was captured in 1460 during the conquest of Thurgau by theSwiss Confederation. The town was besieged for ten days before it was captured, but, much likeFrauenfeld, it retained certain privileges in the new Thurgau. These included both thehigh and low courts and the recently acquired customs, tax andVogt rights, as well as the castle. After 1574 they also acquired the rights over the left bank of the Rhine and the possessions of Paradise Monastery. During the 16th century, the town gained the low court rights over most of the modern Diessenhofen District. Diessenhofen's court decisions did not have to be approved by the Governor in Frauenfeld, but went directly to the Confederation Council, in contrast to the rest of Thurgau. The city only had to payhomage to the Governor every two years.[3]
Thepatronage of the church of St. Dionysius is mentioned in 1468. Theadvowson right in the 12th century was included in the possession of the Count of Thurgau. By 1230 it was held by the Kyburgs. In 1264, the city government through the Habsburgs had the right. Practically, the citizens exercised the right after 1383 and it was legally confirmed in 1415. When theProtestant Reformation entered the town in 1524, many citizens converted to the new religion. TheMass was abolished in 1529 by the Protestant pastor, who also ordered the confiscation ofCatholic Church property. Diessenhofen supported the city ofZurich in theSecond war of Kappel in 1531, which ended in a Protestant defeat. After the defeat, the Catholic cantons reintroduced the Mass in 1532. The church remained ashared church until the construction of the Catholic Church in 1966–67. In 1349 theJewish community of Diessenhofen was driven out of town. In 1401 a Jewish man was successfully, but falsely, prosecuted for ritual murder, which led to further persecution inWinterthur and Schaffhausen. During the 13th century, twoNunneries were built between Diessenhofen and Schaffhausen, St. Katharinental and Paradise, which remained in operation until theirdissolution in the 19th century.[3]
Since theEarly Middle Ages the district has been known as the granary of the Thurgau due to its extensive and productive grain fields. Additionally, already in the 9th century widespreadviticulture is mentioned in the Upper Rhine region. Until the 19th century, the city was largely self-supplied for food and served as a collection point for food heading from the farms to the surrounding cities (especially Schaffhausen and Zurich). In the 12th century are a weekly markets in town. Starting in 1387 two yearly markets opened and by the 19th century that it had increased to eight yearly markets. The local industry covered only the simplest needs of the city and its limited market area. The limited industry and area provided too little money to support the formation of trade-oriented guilds. Diessenhofen was never dominated by a single industry or a special craft. It never was involved in the internationalLake Constance trade industry. The town's location on the Rhine favored the development of fisheries, and it benefited from the salt trade. Bridge and transit tariffs provided the majority of the town's income until the abolition of internal tariffs in 1848.[3]
Diessenhofen has an area, as of 2009[update], of 10.12 square kilometers (3.91 sq mi). Of this area, 4.24 km2 (1.64 sq mi) or 41.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.67 km2 (1.42 sq mi) or 36.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.62 km2 (0.63 sq mi) or 16.0% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.51 km2 (0.20 sq mi) or 5.0% is either rivers or lakes.[4]
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 5.3% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 1.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.8%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.3% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 5.8%. Out of the forested land, 33.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 40.9% is used for growing crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.[4]
The municipality borders on north withGermany and thecanton of Schaffhausen. On the east is the district ofSteckborn, on the west the municipality ofSchlatt, and on the south the municipality ofBasadingen-Schlattingen.
| Germany | Canton of Schaffhausen | Germany |
| Schlatt TG |  | Steckborn District |
| Schlatt | Basadingen-Schlattingen | Basadingen-Schlattingen |
Diessenhofen has a population (as of December 2020[update]) of 4,085.[5] As of 2008[update], 30.7% of the population are foreign nationals.[6] Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 1.5%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaksGerman(81.8%), withItalian being second most common ( 5.2%) andAlbanian being third ( 3.9%).[7]
As of 2008[update], the gender distribution of the population was 50.7% male and 49.3% female. The population was made up of 1,088 Swiss men (33.4% of the population), and 564 (17.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,171 Swiss women (35.9%), and 437 (13.4%) non-Swiss women.[6]
In 2008[update] there were 23 live births to Swiss citizens and 14 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 17 deaths of Swiss citizens and 3 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 6 while the foreign population increased by 11. There were 4 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 2 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 34 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 28 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 25 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 32 people. This represents apopulation growth rate of 1.8%.[6]
The age distribution, as of 2009[update], in Diessenhofen is; 297 children or 9.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 384 teenagers or 11.6% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 430 people or 13.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 460 people or 13.9% are between 30 and 39, 516 people or 15.6% are between 40 and 49, and 472 people or 14.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 418 people or 12.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 224 people or 6.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 99 people or 3.0% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 14 people or 0.4% who are 90 and older.[8]
As of 2000[update], there were 1,325 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household.[7] In 2000[update] there were 338 single family homes (or 67.1% of the total) out of a total of 504 inhabited buildings. There were 46 two family buildings (9.1%), 36 three family buildings (7.1%) and 84 multi-family buildings (or 16.7%).[9] There were 732 (or 22.7%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 1,722 (or 53.4%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 175 (or 5.4%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 6 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 9 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 23 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 107 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.[10]
The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2008[update], was 1.72%. As of 2007[update], the construction rate of new housing units was 0.6 new units per 1000 residents.[7] In 2000[update] there were 1,528 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 471. There were 88 single room apartments and 162 apartments with six or more rooms.[11] As of 2000[update] the average price to rent an average apartment in Diessenhofen was 900.07Swiss francs (CHF) per month (US$720, £410, €580 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 649.00 CHF (US$520, £290, €420), a two-room apartment was about 628.34 CHF (US$500, £280, €400), a three-room apartment was about 788.98 CHF (US$630, £360, €500) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1614.00 CHF (US$1290, £730, €1030). The average apartment price in Diessenhofen was 80.7% of the national average of 1116 CHF.[12]
In the2007 federal election the most popular party was theSVP which received 43.96% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were theSP (16.98%), theCVP (12.61%) and theFDP (11.63%). In the federal election, a total of 909 votes were cast, and thevoter turnout was 47.3%.[13]
The historical population is given in the following table:[3]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1527 | ca 1,000 |
| 1850 | 1,616 |
| 1900 | 1,876 |
| 1950 | 2,608 |
| 1990 | 3,292 |
| 2000 | 3,227 |
Unterhof Castle, City Archives in theRathaus (Town council house), FormerDominican Monastery of St. Katharinental with its granary, thezum Goldenen Löwen House and theGoldener Leuen Collection, theRheinbrücke (Rhine Bridge), and the city walls withSiegelturm are listed as Swissheritage site of national significance. Both the town of Diessenhofen and St Katharinental Monastery are part of theInventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.[14]
TheAltstadt of Diessenhofen centers on theSiegelturm a tower in which seals and official documents are kept. The old covered bridge over the Rhine was rebuilt in 1814. It leads toGailingen am Hochrhein inBaden-Württemberg in Germany.
One of the three data centers ofSWIFT, the international bank messaging network, is situated in Diessenhofen since 2009.[15]
As of 2007[update], Diessenhofen had an unemployment rate of 1.59%. As of 2005[update], there were 74 people employed in theprimary economic sector and about 25 businesses involved in this sector. 668 people are employed in thesecondary sector and there are 54 businesses in this sector. 901 people are employed in thetertiary sector, with 143 businesses in this sector.[7]
In 2000[update] there were 2,220 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 964 or about 43.4% of the residents worked outside Diessenhofen while 967 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 2,223 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality.[16] Of the working population, 12.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 44.7% used a private car.[7]
From the 2000 census[update], 955 or 29.6% wereRoman Catholic, while 1,335 or 41.4% belonged to theSwiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 3 Old Catholics (or about 0.09% of the population) who belonged to theChristian Catholic Church of Switzerland there are 98 individuals (or about 3.04% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 96 individuals (or about 2.97% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 3 individuals (or about 0.09% of the population) who wereJewish, and 318 (or about 9.85% of the population) who areIslamic. There are 11 individuals (or about 0.34% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 269 (or about 8.34% of the population) belong to no church, areagnostic oratheist, and 139 individuals (or about 4.31% of the population) did not answer the question.[17]
Diessenhofen sits on theLake Line betweenSchaffhausen andRorschach and has two railway stations:Diessenhofen, at the southern edge of the city center, andSt. Katharinental, near the former Dominican monastery, west of the city center.
TheURh offers regular boat services on theHigh Rhine andUntersee between Schaffhausen andKreuzlingen, viaKonstanz.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Diessenhofen about 66.5% of the population (between age 25 and 64) have completed either non-mandatoryupper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or aFachhochschule).[7]
Diessenhofen is home to the Diessenhofenprimary and secondary school district. In the 2008/2009 school year there are 691 students at either the primary or secondary levels. There are 131 children in thekindergarten, and the average class size is 18.71 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 63 or 48.1% are female, 32 or 24.4% are not Swiss citizens and 30 or 22.9% do not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5–6 and lasts for 6 years. There are 200 children in who are at the lower primary level and 236 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school is 20.1 students. At the lower primary level, there are 93 children or 46.5% of the total population who are female, 52 or 26.0% are not Swiss citizens and 48 or 24.0% do not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there are 100 or 42.4% who are female, 59 or 25.0% are not Swiss citizens and 63 or 26.7% do not speak German natively. At the secondary level, students are divided according to performance.
The secondary level begins at about age 12 and usually lasts 3 years. There are 220 teenagers who are in the advanced school, of which 125 or 56.8% are female, 45 or 20.5% are not Swiss citizens and 41 or 18.6% do not speak German natively. There are 19 teenagers who are in the standard school, of which 8 or 42.1% are female, 5 or 26.3% are not Swiss citizens and 5 or 26.3% do not speak German natively. Finally, there are 16 teenagers who are in special or remedial classes, of which 6 or 37.5% are female, 8 or 50.0% are not Swiss citizens and 8 or 50.0% do not speak German natively. The average class size for all classes at the secondary level is 19.92 students.[18]
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