Bettwiesen
Encyclopedia
Bettwiesen 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

Bettwiesen is first mentioned in 868 as Petterwison. During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 it belonged to the Prince-Bishop of Constance's Tannegg district. In 1693 the entire district went to the monastery of Fischingen. The monastery had, since the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....

, owned land in Bettwiesen and had built a castle in 1627.

St. Mary's
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

 Chapel in Bettwiesen was first mentioned in 1275 and was part of the 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...

 of 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...

 under the monastery. The village converted to the new faith 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...

 in 1530, but converted back to the Catholic faith during the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...

 in 1542. The Reformed population became part of the parish of Sirnach
Sirnach
Sirnach is a municipality in the district of Münchwilen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Geography:Sirnach has an area, , of . Of this area, or 53.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 24.9% is forested...

, and later (probably in the 18th century) the Affeltrangen
Affeltrangen
Affeltrangen is a municipality in the district of Münchwilen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-History:Affeltrangen is first mentioned in 779 as Affaltrawangas. In 1995 Affeltrangen merged with Buch bei Märwil, Märwil and Zezikon....

 parish. In 1646, the village split from the Wil parish to form a new, catholic parish.

Farmland and vineyards were replaced in 1900 by the livestock industry (1870 a cattle bank opened and in 1889 a dairy). After 1900, an embroidery factory and later a shoe factory (1936–79) opened in the village. In 1942, a galvanizing plant opened (in 1964, it had 235 employees). In 1990, 52% of workers worked in manufacturing, while 35% worked in the services sector.

Geography

Bettwiesen has an area, , of 3.85 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi). Of this area, 2.43 km² (0.93822824537986 sq mi) or 63.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.88 km² (0.339769899561431 sq mi) or 22.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.53 km² (0.204634144054044 sq mi) or 13.8% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.3% is either rivers or lakes.

Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 7.3% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 1.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.3%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 4.9%. Out of the forested land, 21.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 58.2% is used for growing crops, while 4.9% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.

The municipality is located in the Münchwilen district. It consists of the linear village
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....

 of Bettwiesen.

Demographics

Bettwiesen has a population of , 19.0% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 0.5%. 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....

(85.9%), with Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

 being second most common ( 4.5%) and Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...

 being third ( 4.1%).

, the gender distribution of the population was 51.7% male and 48.3% female. The population was made up of 442 Swiss men (41.7% of the population), and 107 (10.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 417 Swiss women (39.3%), and 95 (9.0%) non-Swiss women.

In there were 4 live births to Swiss citizens and 2 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 4 deaths of Swiss citizens and 1 non-Swiss citizen death. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens remained the same while the foreign population increased by 1. There was 1 Swiss man, 3 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 4 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 2 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 13 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 1 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.3%.

The age distribution, , in Bettwiesen is; 90 children or 8.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 155 teenagers or 14.7% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 148 people or 14.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 128 people or 12.1% are between 30 and 39, 211 people or 20.0% are between 40 and 49, and 157 people or 14.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 79 people or 7.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 48 people or 4.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 34 people or 3.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 4 people or 0.4% who are 90 and older.

the average number of residents per living room was 0.62 which is more people per room than 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 50.3% 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 369 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.7 persons per household. there were 141 single family homes (or 78.8% of the total) out of a total of 179 inhabited buildings. There were 14 two family buildings (7.8%), 3 three family buildings (1.7%) and 21 multi-family buildings (or 11.7%). There were 175 (or 17.2%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 689 (or 67.8%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 30 (or 3.0%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 4 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 4 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 6 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 6 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.

The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 4.56%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 9.6 new units per 1000 residents. there were 420 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 120. There were 12 single room apartments and 71 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Bettwiesen was 943.04 Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...

s (CHF) per month (US$750, £420, €600 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 408.60 CHF (US$330, £180, €260), a two room apartment was about 655.38 CHF (US$520, £290, €420), a three room apartment was about 730.92 CHF (US$580, £330, €470) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 2221.43 CHF (US$1780, £1000, €1420). The average apartment price in Bettwiesen was 84.5% of the national average of 1116 CHF.

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 48.38% 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...

 (25.45%), the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....

 (7.73%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

 (6.65%). In the federal election, a total of 332 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 49.9%.

The historical population is given in the following table:
year population
1850 296
1900 332
1950 409
1980 747
1990 986
2000 1,016

Heritage sites of national significance

Bettwiesen Castle
Bettwiesen Castle
Bettwiesen Castle is a castle in the municipality of Bettwiesen of the Canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.-References:...

 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...

.

Economy

, Bettwiesen had an unemployment rate of 2.13%. , there were 41 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 17 businesses involved in this sector. 39 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 9 businesses in this sector. 102 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 24 businesses in this sector. there were 688 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 358 or about 52.0% of the residents worked outside Bettwiesen while 90 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 420 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 9.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 54% used a private car.

Religion

From the , 567 or 55.8% were Roman Catholic, while 227 or 22.3% 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 are 32 individuals (or about 3.15% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 12 individuals (or about 1.18% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 86 (or about 8.46% of the population) who are Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

ic. There was 1 individual (or about 0.10% of the population) who belonged to another church (not listed on the census), 51 (or about 5.02% 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 40 individuals (or about 3.94% of the population) did not answer the question.

Education

The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bettwiesen about 67.2% 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...

).

Bettwiesen is home to the Bettwiesen primary school district. In the 2008/2009 school year there were 99 students. There were 22 children in the kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...

, and the average class size was 22 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 10 or 45.5% were female, 4 or 18.2% were not Swiss citizens and 4 or 18.2% did not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and last for 6 years. There were 34 children in who were at the lower primary level and 43 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school was 19.25 students. At the lower primary level, there were 14 children or 41.2% of the total population who were female, 7 or 20.6% were not Swiss citizens and 7 or 20.6% did not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there were 18 or 41.9% who were female, 9 or 20.9% were not Swiss citizens and 6 or 14.0% did not speak German natively.
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