Rorschach, Switzerland

Rorschach is a town and a municipality on Lake Constance in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Geography

Rorschach is located in eastern Switzerland on the southern shore of Lake Constance approximately opposite the German town of Friedrichshafen Bodensee. The city is located at the southernmost point of Lake Constance.

With an area of 1.78 km ² Rorschach is one of the smallest towns in Switzerland.

History

The story of Rorschach goes back to the Alemanni. They founded after they defeated the Romans and around Lake Constance had pushed back to Italy, new settlements. In the early Middle Ages, the village was called Rorscahun. In the year 947 King Otto I granted the abbot of St. Gall Monastery Graloh the market, coin-operated, and customs law to Rorschach. Around the year 1000 Rorschach was stopping place of the great pilgrimages.

1597, the monthly newspaper Annus Christ was (also known as Historic relatio Rorschach or monthly ) printed in Rorschach. It is allegedly the world's first newspaper, which appeared periodically and also contained essential features of a newspaper. It was after a year - probably due to financial difficulties or lack of reader interest ( 150 copies) - set.

In today's crown court was the chapel of St James, a rest stop for pilgrims. It was canceled in 1833 and built as a reminder of Jacob's well. Still ringing the bell for the Angelus twice daily.

The " bathing hut " in 1924, one on concrete pillars standing in the water, three-winged Bathhouse, is the only remaining structure of its kind on the Swiss shores. It was built by the architect Köpplin.

Coat of arms

Description: In red a golden strictly bound sheaf of ever overthrown a silver fish accompanied to the sides.

Merger plans

Rorschach, Rorschacherberg Goldach and proved in 2007 a ​​merger to a lakeside town with around 25,000 inhabitants, which would thus belong to the larger towns of the canton of St. Gallen. Goldach feared, however, that the merger would be accompanied by an increase in the tax base and got out of the project. On 30 November 2008, a merger between the two communities because of the no's from Rorschacherberg was prevented.

Education

In Rorschach following high schools are located.

• Pedagogical University of St. Gallen
• University of Applied Sciences (FHS Department of Social Work )
• Swiss School of Speech Therapy Rorschach (Member of the International Lake Constance University )
• Vocational education and training center Rorschach Rhine Valley
• HPV Rorschach ( In the service of people with disabilities)
• Community College Rorschach

Culture

The museum in the Granary on Rorschach harbor is referred to as hands-on museum for children and adults. The exhibition ranges from prehistory, urban development, economy, industry, wildlife on Lake Constance to look / illusion, fonts / characters and Math Magic.

At the annual sand sculpture festival build invited artists of international origin during a specified time Sculptures of sand on a topic, which will be announced at the beginning of the festival. At the end of the festival the best sculptures of the audience and a professional jury will be chosen.

Economy

Among the local companies include the Zollern- MIMTEC AG, part of the Zollern group. The Frisco - Findus Ltd., a manufacturer of ice cream, had before the acquisition by Nestlé based in Rorschach. The company was a pioneer in the field of ice and brought in 1960, the first available in the whole of Switzerland Ice Cream ( in Switzerland Glace called ) on the market. The production of ice cream from Nestle is now concentrated in Rorschach.

In Rorschach two local breweries are located. The Kornhausbräu and 1871 gegründetete brewery Loewengarten. The Lions Garden Brewery belongs since 2006 to Schützengarten brewery.

Traffic

Rorschach has three stations and one port for passenger ships. The main railway station Rorschach has long been one of the most important of the Swiss Federal Railways, but has now lost much of its importance. The rail links lead to novel Horn, St. Gallen and St.Margrethen and on to Chur, and the Rorschach -Heiden mountain railway with connections to the Gentiles. Other stations are located at the Harbour ( Rorschach ) and in the settlement core ( Rorschach city).

The Rorschach harbor has moorings for boat line from the white fleet.

Rorschach does not have native access to the motorway, the nearest interchanges are located on the territory of the municipalities Thal and Goldach. Currently, investigations for a new highway connection for the west of the city in progress. The aim is to bring the traffic directly from Rorschach and Rorschacherberg on the highway and so to relieve the town centers of Goldach and Staad.

Attractions

• Catholic parish church of St. Columban and Constantius ( classic style in 1782 rebuilt and enlarged ). Five Polyphonic bronze bells with Schlagtonfolge a0 -c1 -d1 - e1- g1 ( slightly warped Schlagtonlinie ).
• Jacob's Well ( The fountain forms the starting point of the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela. )
• Granary
• Former monastery Maria Mountain, built between 1487 and 1489 Abbot Ulrich Rösch (now the College of Education ).
• Bathing hut (1924 opened )
• Reformed Church ( consecrated in 1904, by its castle-like architecture impressive religious building with attached as dome bell tower houses the four bronze bells f0 - a0 -c1 -f1 one of the heaviest and tontiefsten ringing of Switzerland )

Personalities

• Carl Doka (1886-1980), publicist
• Adolf Gaudy (1872-1956), architect, church builder
• Emil Jannings (1884-1950), German actor and Oscar winner
• Bruno Stanek ( b. 1943 ), Swiss aerospace expert

Twinning

• Sopron, Hungary