Schönholzerswilen
Encyclopedia
Schönholzerswilen is a municipality
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...

 in the district of Münchwilen
Münchwilen (district)
Münchwilen District is one of the five districts of the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland. It has a population of . Its capital is the town of Münchwilen.The district contains the following municipalities:...

 in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...

 of Thurgau
Thurgau
Thurgau is a northeast canton of Switzerland. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld.-History:...

 in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

.

History

Schönholzerswilen is probably first mentioned in 857 as Wichrammeswilare. In 1216 it was mentioned as Wilær and in 1693 it was mentioned as Schönholtzerß Wÿlen. Between 1803 and 1964, the Ortsgemeinden
Bürgergemeinde
The Bürgergemeinde is a statutory corporation in public law in Switzerland...

of Schönholzerswilen and Toos formed the Munizipalgemeinde of Schönholzerswilen. In 1964 both communities merged to form the political municipality of Schönholzerswilen.

Numerous finds (stone axes, grave mounds
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...

, Roman era
Switzerland in the Roman era
The history of Switzerland in the Roman era encompasses the roughly six centuries during which the territory of modern Switzerland was a part of the Roman Republic and Empire...

 coins) provide evidence of settlements since the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

 era. Before 1439, Schönholzerswilen was part of the estate of Ulrich von St. Johann. In 1439 the Abbey of St. Gall
Abbey of St. Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall is a religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Carolingian-era Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13th century, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It was...

en bought the low court
High, middle and low justice
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judiciary power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents....

 rights in the village. The Abbey combined Schönholzerswilen with Heiligkreuz, Wuppenau and half of Toos to form the Berggericht or Mountain Court. However, several farm houses and settlements, including Hagen, Metzgersbuhwil and Wartenwil, remained part of the Freigericht Thurlinden (Free Court of Thurlinden) until 1798.

Schönholzerswilen was probably a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 in 1275, but before 1508, it was under the parish of Bussnang. The parish of Bussnang converted during the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

. However, in 1564, the abbot of St. Gallen forced the filial church
Filial church
A filial church, in the Roman Catholic Church, is a church to which is annexed the cure of souls, but which remains dependent on another church. The term comes from the Latin filialis, from filia, daughter....

 in Schönholzerswilen to remain Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

. After the Second Battle of Villmergen
Battles of Villmergen
The Battles of Villmergen were two battles between Reformed and Catholic Swiss cantons. They occurred on January 24, 1656 and July 24, 1712 at Villmergen, Canton of Aargau, Switzerland ....

 in 1712, Schönholzerswilen built a church in 1714. In 1718 they received a priest from Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

. Zurich continued to appoint the village priest until 1843. Starting in 1820, the Catholics in the village were part of the parish of Wuppenau until 1854 when they set up a parish.

Geography

Schönholzerswilen has an area, , of 10.94 square kilometres (4.2 sq mi). Of this area, 7.72 km² (3 sq mi) or 70.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.36 km² (0.911201094278383 sq mi) or 21.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.8 km² (0.308881726874028 sq mi) or 7.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and 0.05 km² (12.4 acre) or 0.5% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 3.3% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 0.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.4%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.6%. Out of the forested land, 19.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.8% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 60.1% is used for growing crops, while 10.5% is used for orchards or vine crops.

The municipality is located in the Münchwilen district, on a ridge of the Gabrisstock between Bürglen
Bürglen
Bürglen can refer to two places in Switzerland:*Bürglen, Uri, at the entrance of Schächental, start of the Klausen pass road*Bürglen, Thurgau...

 (in Thurgau) and Wil
Wil
Wil is the capital of the Wahlkreis of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Wil is the third largest city in the Canton of St. Gallen, after the city of St...

 (in St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...

). It consists of the village of Schönholzerswilen and the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 of Hagenwil, Leutenegg and Ritzisbuhwil as well as others.

Demographics

Schönholzerswilen has a population of , 4.4% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of -1.6%. Most of the population speaks German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

(98.9%), with Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

 being second most common ( 0.3%) and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 being third ( 0.1%).

, the gender distribution of the population was 50.5% male and 49.5% female. The population was made up of 374 Swiss men (48.4% of the population), and 16 (2.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 365 Swiss women (47.2%), and 18 (2.3%) non-Swiss women.

In there were 9 live births to Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 5 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 4 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss man and 1 non-Swiss man who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 4 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 6 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 15 people. This represents a population growth rate of 2.8%.

The age distribution, , in Schönholzerswilen is; 92 children or 11.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 148 teenagers or 19.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 72 people or 9.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 91 people or 11.8% are between 30 and 39, 140 people or 18.2% are between 40 and 49, and 83 people or 10.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 56 people or 7.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 60 people or 7.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 25 people or 3.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 3 people or 0.4% who are 90 and older.

the average number of residents per living room was 0.55 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 64.1% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...

 or a rent-to-own agreement).

, there were 246 private households in the municipality, and an average of 3. persons per household. there were 115 single family homes (or 89.8% of the total) out of a total of 128 inhabited buildings. There were 10 two family buildings (7.8%), 2 three family buildings (1.6%) and 1 multi-family buildings (or .8%). There were 128 (or 17.5%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 490 (or 67.0%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 32 (or 4.4%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 10 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 2 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 4 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 5 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.

The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents. there were 260 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 6 room apartment of which there were 103. There were - single room apartments and 103 apartments with six or more rooms.

In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...

 the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...

 which received 56.26% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...

 (13.32%), the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...

 (9.09%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

 (6.86%). In the federal election, a total of 301 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...

 was 55.3%.

The historical population is given in the following table:
year population
1831 870
1850 903
1900 798
1950 762
1960 695
1970 732
1990 720
2000 731

Heritage sites of national significance

The Toos-Waldi, a Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

 hill settlement is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...

. The entire village of Schönholzerswilen is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...

.

Economy

, Schönholzerswilen had an unemployment rate of 0.99%. , there were 153 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 56 businesses involved in this sector. 21 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 7 businesses in this sector. 61 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 17 businesses in this sector.

there were 504 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 211 or about 41.9% of the residents worked outside Schönholzerswilen while 33 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 326 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 4.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 46.3% used a private car.

Religion

From the , 263 or 36.0% were Roman Catholic, while 402 or 55.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
Swiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...

. Of the rest of the population, there is 1 individual who belongs to the Orthodox Church, and there are 15 individuals (or about 2.05% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were there is 1 individual who is Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

ic. 31 (or about 4.24% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....

 or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...

, and 18 individuals (or about 2.46% of the population) did not answer the question.

Education

In Schönholzerswilen about 75.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...

).

External links

Official homepage
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