Bichelsee-Balterswil
Encyclopedia
Bichelsee-Balterswil is a municipality
in the district of Münchwilen
in the canton
of Thurgau
in Switzerland
. It was formed from the union on January 1, 1996 of Bichelsee
and Balterswil
.
, to the Abbey of St. Gall
en. During the High Middle Ages
, the Bichelsee family ruled the village as a fief for the Abbey. Originally they ruled from Alt-Bichelsee Castle, though in the early 13th Century, they built Neu-Bichelsee Castle. This castle was destroyed in 1274 by the Habsburgs. In 1358 Hermann IV of Landsberg-Greifensee acquired Alt-Bichelsee Castle along with various rights and possessions, including the bailiwick
of Balterswil. In 1407, Alt-Bichelsee was burned by Appenzell
troops. After rebuilding the castle, the Abbey of Fischingen bought the castle, land and parish
in 1419-21. It remained part of the Fischingen court until 1798. However, the village of Itaslen was not part of Bichelsee at this time. It was part of the Tannegg district and an independent municipality until 1812.
The parish church
of St. Nicholas (later St. Blasius church) was occupied from 1275 and probably built in the 12th Century under the leadership of Fischingen Abbey. The Abbey supported the church until 1769. In 1529 the village converted to the new faith during the Protestant Reformation
in 1529, but returned to their old faith in 1542 during the Counter-Reformation
. The Reformed church members were part of the parish of Dussnang since 1550. St. Blasius church remained a shared church
, even after a new church was built in 1864, until 1954. In 1960 a new Reformed church was built.
Agriculture and small industries still dominated the local economy until the late 20th Century. Since the end of the 19th Century, cropland and orchards have been segregated from the dairy industry. Small-scale home weaving and embroidery became common in the early 19th Century but declined by about 1900. In 1899, Johann Evangelist Traber founded the first Swiss Raiffeisen bank. The largest employer is the Traxler AG embroidery firm (founded 1908). With increased immigration after 1970 and the construction of many new houses it became a commuter town
, with about 62% of the population commuting.
by the Lords of Bichelsee. In 1419 it was given by the Landenberger's to Fischingen Abbey. Until 1798 it was part of the old court of Fischinger. In 1521, certain farm land usage rights were extended to Ifwil, followed in 1651 by limited civil benefits to existing farmsteads. In 1884 an arsonist caused a large fire in the village.
It was always part of the Bichelsee parish
. The major sources of income were vineyards, fields and orchards, and peat extraction until the 19th Century, when the livestock industry moved into the village. By 1900, there were several small embroidery businesses, but local economy remained rooted in small businesses and agriculture until around 1970. Between 1941-50 the Riet Soor marsh was drained which opened up additional land. In 1979 a freight storage and transshipping facility opened. The late 20th Century economy included a pneumatic equipment company (est. 1950), a storage facilities company (with a total of about 250 employees), and numerous residential buildings in the village.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.8% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 0.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.5%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 3.6%. Out of the forested land, 35.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.9% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 49.2% is used for growing crops, while 1.9% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the water in the municipality, 0.6% is in lakes and 0.7% is in rivers and streams.
The municipality is located in the Münchwilen district. It consists of the villages of Bichelsee and Balterswil and the hamlets
of Höfli, Niederhofen am Bichelsee, Itaslen, Zielwies, Ifwil and Lochwies. The lake Bichelsee
is located in the municipality.
(94.1%), with Italian
being second most common ( 2.0%) and Albanian
being third ( 1.2%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 51.0% male and 49.0% female. The population was made up of 1,170 Swiss men (46.2% of the population), and 121 (4.8%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,143 Swiss women (45.1%), and 99 (3.9%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 26 live births to Swiss citizens and 2 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 22 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 4 while the foreign population increased by 2. There were 2 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 5 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 2 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 10 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 42 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 25 people. This represents a population growth rate of 2.7%.
The age distribution, , in Bichelsee-Balterswil is; 272 children or 10.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 338 teenagers or 13.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 295 people or 11.5% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 302 people or 11.7% are between 30 and 39, 472 people or 18.3% are between 40 and 49, and 365 people or 14.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 306 people or 11.9% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 128 people or 5.0% are between 70 and 79, there are 85 people or 3.3% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 12 people or 0.5% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.54 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 58.3% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 869 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. there were 474 single family homes (or 85.3% of the total) out of a total of 556 inhabited buildings. There were 39 two family buildings (7.0%), 15 three family buildings (2.7%) and 28 multi-family buildings (or 5.0%). There were 512 (or 22.5%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 1,387 (or 60.9%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 97 (or 4.3%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 12 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 6 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 8 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 25 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.28%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 8.1 new units per 1000 residents. there were 952 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 6 room apartment of which there were 249. There were 11 single room apartments and 249 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Bichelsee-Balterswil was 970.05 Swiss franc
s (CHF) per month (US$780, £440, €620 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 247.00 CHF (US$200, £110, €160), a two room apartment was about 619.44 CHF (US$500, £280, €400), a three room apartment was about 856.95 CHF (US$690, £390, €550) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1497.87 CHF (US$1200, £670, €960). The average apartment price in Bichelsee-Balterswil was 86.9% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 38.57% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(33.2%), the FDP
(7.49%) and the Green Party
(7.24%). In the federal election, a total of 887 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 49.7%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
there were 1,597 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 776 or about 48.6% of the residents worked outside Bichelsee-Balterswil while 350 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 1,171 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 10% used public transportation to get to work, and 49.8% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there is 1 individual who belongs to the Orthodox Church, and there are 80 individuals (or about 3.51% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 81 (or about 3.56% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 4 individuals (or about 0.18% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 143 (or about 6.28% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 40 individuals (or about 1.76% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
Bichelsee-Balterswil is home to the Bichelsee-Balterswil primary and secondary school district
. In the 2008/2009 school year there were 290 students at either the primary or secondary levels. There were 58 children in the kindergarten
, and the average class size was 14.5 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 24 or 41.4% were female, 5 or 8.6% were not Swiss citizens and 2 or 3.4% did not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and last for 6 years. There were 96 children in who were at the lower primary level and 85 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school was 20.11 students. At the lower primary level, there were 57 children or 59.4% of the total population who were female, 4 or 4.2% were not Swiss citizens and 2 or 2.1% did not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there were 41 or 48.2% who were female, 4 or 4.7% were not Swiss citizens and 3 or 3.5% did not speak German natively.
At the secondary level, students are divided according to performance. The secondary level begins at about age 12 and usually lasts 3 years. There were 62 teenagers who were in the advanced school, of which 34 or 54.8% were female, 2 or 3.2% were not Swiss citizens and 1 or 1.6% did not speak German natively. There were 47 teenagers who were in the standard school, of which 21 or 44.7% were female, 6 or 12.8% were not Swiss citizens and 4 or 8.5% did not speak German natively. The average class size for all classes at the secondary level was 18.17 students.
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....
. It was formed from the union on January 1, 1996 of Bichelsee
Bichelsee
Bichelsee is a village and former municipality in the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland. It takes its name from the nearby lake, Bichelsee.The municipality also contained the villages Höfli, Niederhofen am Bichelsee and Itaslen.-History:...
and Balterswil
Balterswil
Balterswil is a village and former municipality in the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland.The municipality also contained the villages Lützelmurg, Zielwies, Ifwil and Lochwies.-History:Balterswil is first mentioned in 885 as Baldherreswilare'....
.
History
It was created in 1996 when the former municipalities of Balterswil and Bichelsee merged. Bichelsee is first mentioned in 894 as Pichelense and Balterswil is mentioned in 885 as Baldherreswilare'.Bichelsee
The Udalrichinger family donated the village of Bichelsee, in the Early Middle AgesEarly Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
, to 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. During the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
, the Bichelsee family ruled the village as a fief for the Abbey. Originally they ruled from Alt-Bichelsee Castle, though in the early 13th Century, they built Neu-Bichelsee Castle. This castle was destroyed in 1274 by the Habsburgs. In 1358 Hermann IV of Landsberg-Greifensee acquired Alt-Bichelsee Castle along with various rights and possessions, including the bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
of Balterswil. In 1407, Alt-Bichelsee was burned by Appenzell
Appenzell
Appenzell is a region and historical canton in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen....
troops. After rebuilding the castle, the Abbey of Fischingen bought the castle, land and 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 1419-21. It remained part of the Fischingen court until 1798. However, the village of Itaslen was not part of Bichelsee at this time. It was part of the Tannegg district and an independent municipality until 1812.
The parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of St. Nicholas (later St. Blasius church) was occupied from 1275 and probably built in the 12th Century under the leadership of Fischingen Abbey. The Abbey supported the church until 1769. In 1529 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 1529, but returned to their old faith in 1542 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...
. The Reformed church members were part of the parish of Dussnang since 1550. St. Blasius church remained a shared church
Simultaneum
A shared church, or Simultankirche, Simultaneum or, more fully, simultaneum mixtum, a term first coined in 16th century Germany, is a church in which public worship is conducted by adherents of two or more religious groups. Such churches became common in Europe in the wake of the Reformation...
, even after a new church was built in 1864, until 1954. In 1960 a new Reformed church was built.
Agriculture and small industries still dominated the local economy until the late 20th Century. Since the end of the 19th Century, cropland and orchards have been segregated from the dairy industry. Small-scale home weaving and embroidery became common in the early 19th Century but declined by about 1900. In 1899, Johann Evangelist Traber founded the first Swiss Raiffeisen bank. The largest employer is the Traxler AG embroidery firm (founded 1908). With increased immigration after 1970 and the construction of many new houses it became a commuter town
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
, with about 62% of the population commuting.
Balterswil
Balterswil was owned in the Late Middle AgesLate 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 ....
by the Lords of Bichelsee. In 1419 it was given by the Landenberger's to Fischingen Abbey. Until 1798 it was part of the old court of Fischinger. In 1521, certain farm land usage rights were extended to Ifwil, followed in 1651 by limited civil benefits to existing farmsteads. In 1884 an arsonist caused a large fire in the village.
It was always part of the Bichelsee 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...
. The major sources of income were vineyards, fields and orchards, and peat extraction until the 19th Century, when the livestock industry moved into the village. By 1900, there were several small embroidery businesses, but local economy remained rooted in small businesses and agriculture until around 1970. Between 1941-50 the Riet Soor marsh was drained which opened up additional land. In 1979 a freight storage and transshipping facility opened. The late 20th Century economy included a pneumatic equipment company (est. 1950), a storage facilities company (with a total of about 250 employees), and numerous residential buildings in the village.
Geography
Bichelsee-Balterswil has an area, , of 12.27 square kilometres (4.7 sq mi). Of this area, 6.27 km² (2.4 sq mi) or 51.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 4.52 km² (1.7 sq mi) or 36.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.18 km² (0.455600547139191 sq mi) or 9.6% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.16 km² (0.0617763453748056 sq mi) or 1.3% is either rivers or lakes and 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 0.2% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.8% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 0.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.5%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 3.6%. Out of the forested land, 35.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.9% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 49.2% is used for growing crops, while 1.9% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the water in the municipality, 0.6% is in lakes and 0.7% is in rivers and streams.
The municipality is located in the Münchwilen district. It consists of the villages of Bichelsee and Balterswil 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 Höfli, Niederhofen am Bichelsee, Itaslen, Zielwies, Ifwil and Lochwies. The lake Bichelsee
Bichelsee (lake)
Bichelsee is a lake in the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland. The village of Bichelsee in the municipality Bichelsee-Balterswil is named after the lake. Of the surface of 0.092 km², 5/6 are located in the canton of Thurgau, the reminder in the canton of Zurich....
is located in the municipality.
Demographics
Bichelsee-Balterswil has a population of , 8.7% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 8.9%. Most of the population speaks GermanGerman 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....
(94.1%), 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 ( 2.0%) 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 ( 1.2%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 51.0% male and 49.0% female. The population was made up of 1,170 Swiss men (46.2% of the population), and 121 (4.8%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,143 Swiss women (45.1%), and 99 (3.9%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 26 live births to Swiss citizens and 2 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 22 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 4 while the foreign population increased by 2. There were 2 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 5 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 2 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 10 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 42 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 25 people. This represents a population growth rate of 2.7%.
The age distribution, , in Bichelsee-Balterswil is; 272 children or 10.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 338 teenagers or 13.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 295 people or 11.5% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 302 people or 11.7% are between 30 and 39, 472 people or 18.3% are between 40 and 49, and 365 people or 14.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 306 people or 11.9% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 128 people or 5.0% are between 70 and 79, there are 85 people or 3.3% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 12 people or 0.5% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.54 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 58.3% 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 869 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. there were 474 single family homes (or 85.3% of the total) out of a total of 556 inhabited buildings. There were 39 two family buildings (7.0%), 15 three family buildings (2.7%) and 28 multi-family buildings (or 5.0%). There were 512 (or 22.5%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 1,387 (or 60.9%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 97 (or 4.3%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 12 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 6 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 8 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 25 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.28%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 8.1 new units per 1000 residents. there were 952 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 6 room apartment of which there were 249. There were 11 single room apartments and 249 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Bichelsee-Balterswil was 970.05 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$780, £440, €620 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 247.00 CHF (US$200, £110, €160), a two room apartment was about 619.44 CHF (US$500, £280, €400), a three room apartment was about 856.95 CHF (US$690, £390, €550) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1497.87 CHF (US$1200, £670, €960). The average apartment price in Bichelsee-Balterswil was 86.9% 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 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...
which received 38.57% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(33.2%), 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....
(7.49%) and 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:...
(7.24%). In the federal election, a total of 887 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 49.7%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| Year | Population Bichelsee | Population Balterswil |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 605 | 348 |
| 1900 | 728 | 477 |
| 1910 | 782 | 660 |
| 1950 | 691 | 726 |
| 1970 | 696 | - |
| 1990 | 935 | 1,130 |
| Year | Population, Bichelsee-Balterswil | |
| 2000 | 2,277 | |
Economy
, Bichelsee-Balterswil had an unemployment rate of 1.28%. , there were 99 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 43 businesses involved in this sector. 426 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 42 businesses in this sector. 266 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 76 businesses in this sector.there were 1,597 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 776 or about 48.6% of the residents worked outside Bichelsee-Balterswil while 350 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 1,171 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 10% used public transportation to get to work, and 49.8% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,141 or 50.1% were Roman Catholic, while 787 or 34.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss 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 80 individuals (or about 3.51% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 81 (or about 3.56% 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 are 4 individuals (or about 0.18% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 143 (or about 6.28% 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 1.76% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bichelsee-Balterswil about 76.9% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
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...
).
Bichelsee-Balterswil is home to the Bichelsee-Balterswil primary and secondary school district
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
. In the 2008/2009 school year there were 290 students at either the primary or secondary levels. There were 58 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 14.5 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 24 or 41.4% were female, 5 or 8.6% were not Swiss citizens and 2 or 3.4% did not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and last for 6 years. There were 96 children in who were at the lower primary level and 85 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school was 20.11 students. At the lower primary level, there were 57 children or 59.4% of the total population who were female, 4 or 4.2% were not Swiss citizens and 2 or 2.1% did not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there were 41 or 48.2% who were female, 4 or 4.7% were not Swiss citizens and 3 or 3.5% did not speak German natively.
At the secondary level, students are divided according to performance. The secondary level begins at about age 12 and usually lasts 3 years. There were 62 teenagers who were in the advanced school, of which 34 or 54.8% were female, 2 or 3.2% were not Swiss citizens and 1 or 1.6% did not speak German natively. There were 47 teenagers who were in the standard school, of which 21 or 44.7% were female, 6 or 12.8% were not Swiss citizens and 4 or 8.5% did not speak German natively. The average class size for all classes at the secondary level was 18.17 students.