Lengwil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lengwil
Coat of arms
Lengwil Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Lengwil Location in Canton of Thurgau Show map of Canton of Thurgau
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Thurgau
District	Kreuzlingen
Area
• Total	8.89 km2 (3.43 sq mi)
Elevation	470 m (1,540 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	1,730
• Density	194.6/km2 (504.0/sq mi)
Postal code	8574
Localities	Ast, Dettighofen, Eigen, Ekkharthof, Emmerzholz, Illighausen, Liebburg, Oberhofen bei Kreuzlingen
Surrounded by	Berg, Birwinken, Bottighofen, Kemmental, Kreuzlingen, Langrickenbach, Münsterlingen

Lengwil is a small town, also called a municipality, in Switzerland. It is located in the canton of Thurgau, which is like a state, and is part of the Kreuzlingen district. Lengwil is known for its quiet, rural setting in the beautiful Seerücken hills.

History of Lengwil

Lengwil became a municipality in 1998. This happened when two smaller communities, Illighausen and Oberhofen bei Kreuzlingen, joined together. A small part of Illighausen, a village called Schönenbaumgarten, became part of the nearby municipality of Langrickenbach at that time.

The village of Lengwil was first mentioned in old records in 1159. Illighausen appeared in records in 1176, and Oberhofen bei Kreuzlingen in 1160.

Early Days of Illighausen

Illighausen was once owned by the Bishop of Constance, an important religious leader. From the Middle Ages until 1798, it was part of the Bishop's area called the "bailiwick" of Eggen. In the early 1300s, Illighausen became part of the parish of Münsterlingen, which means it was part of that church's area. It already had its own church.

Later, during the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, many people in Illighausen became Protestants. The village church then became a "filial church" of Altnau, meaning it was a smaller church connected to the main one in Altnau. Since 1942, Illighausen has been part of the Oberhofen parish. For a long time, people in Illighausen mostly worked in farming. In the 19th century, they also started dairy farming. In 1900, embroidery, which is decorative sewing, became a local industry.

Oberhofen's Past

Oberhofen was first mentioned in 1160, but people lived there even earlier. Old graves from the Early Middle Ages show this. The villages of Dettighofen, Lengwil, and Oberhofen were once part of a larger area called the Herrschaft of Liebburg. This was like a small territory ruled by a lord. Over the centuries, different families and even the Bishop of Constance owned this Herrschaft.

Oberhofen had a small chapel, first mentioned in 1477. It was a "curacy" of a monastery in Constance, meaning it was a church area looked after by the monastery. In 1528, the Protestant Reformation also came to Oberhofen. The chapel was later overseen by different parishes. In 1638, the Catholic faith was brought back, and Catholics in Oberhofen became part of the St. Ulrich-Kreuzlingen parish.

Geography and Nature

Lengwil covers an area of about 8.89 square kilometers (3.43 sq mi). A large part of this land, about 69.4%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 18.1% of the area. The rest of the land is used for buildings, roads, or is made up of rivers and lakes.

Most of the forested land is covered with thick forests. For farming, about 64% of the land is used for growing crops, and 5.4% is for orchards or vineyards. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.

Lengwil is located in the Seerücken hills, which are south-east of Kreuzlingen. The municipality includes the former communities of Illighausen and Oberhofen, along with the villages of Dettighofen and Lengwil, and a tiny village called Ast.

People and Population

Lengwil has a population of about 1,730 people. As of 2008, about 14.4% of the people living in Lengwil were from other countries. Most people in Lengwil speak German (96.1%). A smaller number speak Italian (0.9%) or English (0.6%).

In 2008, there were slightly more women (51.1%) than men (48.9%) living in Lengwil. The population has been growing, with more births than deaths and more people moving into Lengwil than leaving.

Age Groups

Looking at the different age groups in Lengwil (as of 2009):

• About 11.4% of the population are children aged 0 to 9 years old.
• About 13.0% are teenagers aged 10 to 19.
• Adults between 20 and 59 make up about 57.8% of the population.
• Older adults, aged 60 and above, make up about 17.8% of the population.

Homes and Households

In 2000, there were 428 private homes in Lengwil, with about 2.6 people living in each home on average. Most of the homes (86.7%) were single-family houses. Many people lived in families with children (57.3%), and some lived as couples without children (18.7%).

Working and Economy

In 2007, Lengwil had a low unemployment rate of 1.15%, which means most people who wanted to work had jobs.

The jobs in Lengwil can be divided into three main types:

• Primary sector: This includes jobs related to nature, like farming. In 2005, 119 people worked in this area.
• Secondary sector: This includes jobs in manufacturing and construction. In 2005, 199 people worked in this area.
• Tertiary sector: This includes jobs in services, like shops, offices, and schools. In 2005, 400 people worked in this area.

Many people who live in Lengwil travel to other towns for work. Also, many people from other towns come to Lengwil to work. About half of the working population uses a private car to get to work, while a smaller number use public transportation.

Religion in Lengwil

Based on the 2000 census:

• About 27.3% of the people were Roman Catholic.
• About 54.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, which is a Protestant church.
• Smaller numbers of people belonged to other Christian churches, the Orthodox Church, Islam, or had no religious affiliation.

Getting Around (Transport)

Lengwil has a railway line that connects it to other towns like Weinfelden and Kreuzlingen. The local train system, called the St. Gallen S-Bahn, stops at the Lengwil railway station, making it easy for people to travel.

Education

People in Switzerland are generally well-educated. In Lengwil, about 73.5% of adults aged 25 to 64 have completed either advanced high school education or higher education like university.

Lengwil has its own primary school district called Oberhofen-Lengwil. In the 2008/2009 school year, there were 78 students in total.

• There were 26 children in kindergarten.
• There were 27 children in the lower primary level (around ages 5-6).
• There were 25 children in the upper primary level.

The average class size in primary school was about 17 students. The school also had students who were not Swiss citizens or who did not speak German as their first language, showing a diverse student body.