Münsterlingen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Münsterlingen
Coat of arms
Münsterlingen Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Münsterlingen Location in Canton of Thurgau Show map of Canton of Thurgau
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Thurgau
District	Kreuzlingen
Area
• Total	5.46 km2 (2.11 sq mi)
Elevation	405 m (1,329 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	3,512
• Density	643.2/km2 (1,665.9/sq mi)
Postal code	8596, 8597
Surrounded by	Altnau, Bottighofen, Constance (Konstanz) (DE-BW), Güttingen, Hagnau am Bodensee (DE-BW), Langrickenbach, Lengwil, Meersburg (DE-BW), Stetten (DE-BW)

Münsterlingen is a town in Switzerland. It's located in the Thurgau area, within the Kreuzlingen district. It's a lovely place near Lake Constance, known for its history and beautiful views.

History of Münsterlingen

An aerial view of Münsterlingen from 1954.

Münsterlingen was officially formed in 1994. It was created by combining two smaller areas called Landschlacht and Scherzingen. The name Munsterlin was first used for this area way back in 1125. Scherzingen was mentioned in records around 1150, and Landschlacht even earlier, in 817!

Long, long ago, people lived here in Neolithic (New Stone Age) and Bronze Age times. They built special houses on stilts near the water in Scherzingen. Many old tools and items from the Stone Age were also found in Landschlacht.

During the Middle Ages (a time between ancient and modern history), Scherzingen was controlled by the Bishop of Constance. It was part of a larger area called a bailiwick until 1798. A bailiwick was like a district managed by a local official. In 1280, a monastery in Münsterlingen gained the right to collect tithes (a type of tax, usually 10% of crops or income) from Scherzingen. The local church area, or parish, of Münsterlingen included Scherzingen and other nearby villages. This parish was closely linked to the monastery. However, it quickly joined the Protestant Reformation, a big change in Christian religion.

Landschlacht was also owned by the Bishop of Constance. But during the High Middle Ages, a local noble called the Baron of Güttingen acted as the bailiff (manager). Later, parts of the local court (where small legal matters were handled) were sold to different groups. Eventually, in 1621, the monastery of Münsterlingen owned all of it until 1798. Landschlacht was always part of the church area of Altnau. There's a very old chapel there, built before the year 1000, which has beautiful Gothic paintings on its walls.

Geography of Münsterlingen

Münsterlingen covers an area of about 5.42 square kilometers (about 2.1 square miles). A large part of this land, about 57%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 20% of the area.

About 21.8% of Münsterlingen is covered by buildings and roads. A small part, less than 1%, is made up of rivers or lakes. The rest is land that isn't used for farming or building.

Most of the built-up areas are industrial buildings. There are also houses, roads, and areas for power and water systems. Some parts are parks, green spaces, and sports fields.

Münsterlingen is located in the Kreuzlingen district, southeast of the town of Kreuzlingen. It's part of a larger connected area of towns and cities called an urban agglomeration, which includes Kreuzlingen and Constance. The town is made up of the former villages of Scherzingen and Landschlacht, and the old monastery area of Münsterlingen.

People of Münsterlingen

Münsterlingen has a population of about 2,543 people. About one-third of the people living here are from other countries. Over the last 10 years, the population has grown by about 12.2%.

Most people in Münsterlingen (about 88.6%) speak German. The next most common languages are Serbo-Croatian and Albanian.

In 2008, the population was almost evenly split between males and females. About 50.2% were male and 49.8% were female. There were more Swiss citizens than non-Swiss citizens living in the town.

In 2008, there were 10 babies born to Swiss citizens and 6 to non-Swiss citizens. There were also 9 deaths of Swiss citizens and 4 deaths of non-Swiss citizens. Overall, the number of Swiss citizens increased slightly, while the number of non-Swiss citizens increased more due to people moving into the town. This shows a population growth rate of 3.4% that year.

The Psychiatric Clinic in Münsterlingen.

Looking at the ages of people in 2009:

• About 9.8% of the population were children aged 0-9 years old.
• About 11.3% were teenagers aged 10-19 years old.
• About 12.5% were young adults aged 20-29 years old.
• The largest group, about 18.6%, were adults aged 40-49 years old.
• About 10.7% were seniors aged 60-69 years old.
• A small number, about 0.3%, were 90 years old or older.

In 2000, there were 1,000 homes in Münsterlingen, with an average of 2.4 people living in each home. Most of the buildings (77.7%) were single-family homes. There were also some two-family, three-family, and multi-family buildings.

Many people lived as couples with children (50.2%) or as couples without children (19.7%). Some lived in single-parent homes (5.8%).

The average rent for an apartment in Münsterlingen in 2000 was about 978.95 Swiss francs (CHF) per month. This was a bit less than the national average rent in Switzerland.

In the 2007 national election, the most popular political party was the SVP, which received about 35.88% of the votes. Other popular parties included the Green Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Christian Democratic People's Party. About 49.7% of eligible voters participated in this election.

Here's how the population has changed over time:

Important Heritage Sites

The old Benedictine Monastery.

The historic Chapel of St. Leonhard.

Münsterlingen is home to some very important historical buildings. The old Benedictine Monastery and the Chapel of St. Leonhard are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. This means they are very important cultural treasures for the whole country. The entire village of Münsterlingen is also part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites, which recognizes places with special historical or cultural value.

Economy and Jobs

In 2007, the unemployment rate in Münsterlingen was quite low, at 2.35%. This means most people who wanted a job had one.

In 2005, there were 45 people working in the primary economic sector. This means they worked in jobs like farming or forestry. There were 14 businesses in this area. Sixteen people worked in the secondary sector, which includes jobs like manufacturing or construction. There were 9 businesses in this sector. The largest number of people, 1,936, worked in the tertiary sector. This sector includes jobs in services, like healthcare, education, or retail. There were 63 businesses in this sector.

In 2000, about 1,729 people who lived in Münsterlingen had jobs. About 45.2% of them worked outside of Münsterlingen, meaning they traveled to other towns for work. However, 1,495 people came into Münsterlingen for work. This means Münsterlingen had more jobs than local workers.

About 8.6% of working people used public transportation to get to their jobs, while 48.3% used a private car.

Religion in Münsterlingen

Based on a census from 2000, people in Münsterlingen follow different religions:

• About 33.7% were Roman Catholic.
• About 39.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church (a Protestant church).
• About 4.19% belonged to the Orthodox Church.
• About 2.54% belonged to other Christian churches.
• About 5.93% were Islamic.
• About 8.81% said they belonged to no church, or were agnostic (not sure if God exists) or atheist (don't believe in God).
• The rest either belonged to other churches or did not answer the question.

Transportation

Münsterlingen is located on the Lake Line, which is a railway line connecting Schaffhausen and Rorschach. The town has three train stations that are part of the St. Gallen S-Bahn (a local train network): Münsterlingen-Scherzingen, Münsterlingen Spital, and Landschlacht. This makes it easy for people to travel to and from Münsterlingen by train.

Education in Münsterlingen

Education is important in Münsterlingen. About 68.9% of adults (aged 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory high school education or have gone on to higher education, like a university or a specialized college (called a Fachhochschule).

Münsterlingen has its own primary school district. In the 2008/2009 school year, there were 219 students in total.

• There were 42 children in kindergarten (for younger children, usually ages 4-6). The average class size was 14 kindergartners. About half of these children were girls, and about 28.6% were not Swiss citizens. About 31% did not speak German as their first language.
• The primary school has two levels: lower primary and upper primary. These levels usually start around age 5-6 and last for 6 years.
• There were 91 children in lower primary and 86 in upper primary. The average class size for primary school was about 22 students.
• In lower primary, about 48.4% were girls, 29.7% were not Swiss citizens, and 27.5% did not speak German natively.
• In upper primary, about 40.7% were girls, 24.4% were not Swiss citizens, and 19.8% did not speak German natively.

See also

In Spanish: Münsterlingen para niños