Braunau, Switzerland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Braunau
Braunau village
Coat of arms
Braunau Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Braunau Location in Canton of Thurgau Show map of Canton of Thurgau
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Thurgau
District	Münchwilen
Area
• Total	9.17 km2 (3.54 sq mi)
Elevation	670 m (2,200 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	801
• Density	87.35/km2 (226.24/sq mi)
Postal code	9502
Surrounded by	Affeltrangen, Bronschhofen (SG), Bussnang, Schönholzerswilen, Tobel-Tägerschen, Wuppenau

Braunau is a small town, also called a municipality, in Switzerland. It's located in the canton of Thurgau, within the Münchwilen district. It's a quiet place with a rich history and beautiful natural surroundings.

Evangelic church Braunau

History of Braunau

Braunau was first mentioned way back in the year 762! At that time, it was known as Pramacunauia. It was owned by a powerful group called the Abbey of St. Gall. They got the land when they bought more land in the Toggenburg area.

For a long time, Braunau was like a rented property, called a fief. It was managed by the Heitnau family for the Abbey. But in 1228, it changed hands. It then belonged to the Knights Hospitaller, a famous group of knights, specifically their Commandry in Tobel. Braunau stayed under their rule until 1798.

Religious Changes in Braunau

Originally, Braunau was part of the Affeltrangen church area. However, a chapel in Braunau, St. Michael's Chapel, was linked to the Märwil church before 1228. In 1529, something big happened: many people in Braunau changed their religion during the Protestant Reformation. This was a time when many people in Europe started new Christian churches.

The people who remained Catholic joined the Tobel church. Those who became Reformed (Protestant) joined the Märwil church. Later, in 1806-1807, Braunau built its own church. By 1810, the village became separate from Märwil for church matters. In 1861, it even formed its own independent church area.

How People Lived and Worked

Life in Braunau was guided by rules called Offnung, set in 1519. Farmers mostly grew grain using a method called the three-field system. This meant they divided their land into three parts. They grew crops on two parts and left one part empty to rest.

In the mid-1800s, things started to change. People began focusing more on raising cattle and dairy farming. They also started making cheese and growing fruits. In the early 1800s, some people started weaving cotton and linen at home. This was called a cottage industry. Since about 1895, the timber industry has been important. There are also carpentry shops and sawmills in the village.

Until 1998, Braunau was part of the larger municipality of Tobel.

Geography of Braunau

Panorama of Braunau

Braunau covers an area of about 9.17 square kilometers (about 3.54 square miles). A big part of this land, about 68.6%, is used for farming. This means lots of fields for crops and places for animals.

About 25.2% of Braunau's land is covered in forests. These are important for nature and timber. The rest of the land, about 6.2%, has buildings and roads. A very small part, 0.2%, is land that can't be used for anything.

Most of the built-up areas are for industrial buildings (2.7%), houses (0.1%), and roads (0.5%). There are also parks and sports fields (2.6%). In the forests, about 21.8% is dense forest, and 3.4% has orchards or small groups of trees. For farming, 61.6% of the land grows crops, and 7.0% is used for orchards or grapevines.

Braunau is in the Münchwilen district. It includes the main village of Braunau. It also has smaller settlements called hamlets, like Beckingen, Hittingen, and Oberhausen, plus 17 other small groups of homes.

People of Braunau (Demographics)

As of 2008, Braunau had a population of 673 people. About 6.7% of these people were from other countries. Over the past 10 years (1997-2007), the population didn't change much.

Most people in Braunau (98.0%) speak German. A small number speak Russian (0.5%) or English (0.3%).

In 2008, there were slightly more women (51.8%) than men (48.2%). Most people were Swiss citizens.

The age groups in Braunau (as of 2009) are:

• Children (0-9 years old): 13.1%
• Teenagers (10-19 years old): 16.2%
• Young adults (20-29 years old): 10.0%
• Adults (30-59 years old): 43.1%
• Seniors (60-89 years old): 17.5%

In 2000, there were 230 homes in Braunau, with about 2.8 people living in each home. Most of the buildings were single-family homes.

Here's how the population of Braunau has changed over time:

Economy of Braunau

In 2007, the unemployment rate in Braunau was quite low, at 2.16%. This means most people who wanted to work had jobs.

The economy of Braunau is divided into three main parts:

• Primary sector: This includes jobs that get raw materials from nature. In Braunau, 96 people work in this sector, mostly in farming. There are about 40 businesses in this area.
• Secondary sector: This involves making things from raw materials. For example, factories or workshops. In Braunau, 33 people work in this sector, with 11 businesses. This includes the timber industry.
• Tertiary sector: This is about providing services to people. For example, shops, schools, or healthcare. In Braunau, 42 people work in this sector, with 11 businesses.

In 2000, many people who lived in Braunau worked outside the municipality (about 46.6%). However, 26 people came into Braunau for work. There were 271 jobs available in the municipality. Most people (51%) used a private car to get to work, while a smaller number (5.5%) used public transportation.

Religion in Braunau

According to the 2000 census, people in Braunau follow different religions:

• About 38.7% were Roman Catholic.
• About 48.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church (a Protestant church).
• A small number (0.76%) belonged to the Orthodox Church.
• About 3.63% belonged to other Christian churches.
• About 5.90% said they didn't belong to any church, or were agnostic (not sure if God exists) or atheist (don't believe in God).
• About 2.72% didn't answer the question about their religion.

Weather in Braunau

Braunau gets a good amount of rain or snow each year. On average, it has 144 days with precipitation and receives about 1098 millimeters (43.2 inches) of rain or snow.

The wettest month is June, with about 133 millimeters (5.2 inches) of rain or snow over 14 days. May has the most days with precipitation (14 days), but with slightly less rain (117 millimeters or 4.6 inches). The driest month is February, with about 65 millimeters (2.6 inches) of precipitation over 14 days.

Education in Braunau

People in Switzerland are generally well-educated. In Braunau, about 80.2% of adults (between 25 and 64 years old) have completed more than just basic schooling. This means they have finished either non-mandatory upper secondary education (like high school) or gone on to higher education, such as a university or a Fachhochschule (a type of university for applied sciences).

See also

In Spanish: Braunau (Suiza) para niños