Once upon a time, Ermatingen was just a small village. But it grew over time. Today, Ermatingen is a municipality in Switzerland. It is in the district of Kreuzlingen. Ermatingen is in the canton of Thurgau.
Hello everyone. We are standing in Ermatingen. It is a beautiful place with a rich history. Let me tell you more about it.
Ermatingen’s story goes back a long time. Stone Age settlements were found here. These settlements were on the Westerfeld and Büge shoreline. Archaeologists studied them from 1981 to 1983. They found items from the Pfyn, Horgen, and Corded Ware cultures. These cultures existed from 4000 to 2500 BC. An Alamanni graveyard was also discovered. It was outside the early medieval village.
The first written mention of Ermatingen was in 724. It was called Erfmotingas back then. The land belonged to the Reichenau monastery. The abbot was the landlord and judge. He also appointed the village priest. A Meier administered the low court in the village. The monastery appointed him. The position of Meier and the bailiwick were used as loan security. For instance, this happened in 1446 to the Lords of Klingenberg.
In the Swabian War of 1499, Ermatingen was destroyed. By the 16th century, Ermatingen was developing into a town. It had a high and low council. It also had a court and various privileges. In 1660, Ermatingen was granted market rights. After the Abbey of Reichenau joined the diocese of Constance in 1540, the Bishop held the lower court rights until 1798.
The parish originally stretched from the lake to the Seerücken mountains. In the High Middle Ages, it included Mannenbach and Triboltingen. The church of Ermatingen was built in 1359. It became part of the Abbey of Reichenau. In 1528, the church embraced the Protestant Reformation. However, the Catholic Abbey had the right to appoint the town priest. This was the case even in the mainly Reformed parish. This situation lasted until 1804. Then, the town gained the right to choose its priest. The town church became a shared church in 1546.
In 1756, the community acquired most rights. The exceptions were the mills and water rights. In 1763, the guild of master shoemakers opened in Ermatingen. By the end of the 18th century, Ermatingen had internal customs and navigation rights.
In the 19th century, villagers relied on fishing, grains, fruit, hemp, and viticulture. The expansion of the Seestrasse in 1823 increased traffic. The steamship company on the lake since 1825 also helped. The railway in 1875 further boosted traffic. After 1870, tourism became a major industry in Ermatingen.
At the end of the 19th century, mechanical embroidery and trans-shipping industries arrived. In 1848, a carpentry factory moved in. It became the Jacques Goldinger AG company in 1936. In 1875, a tin can and aluminum products factory opened. It was Louis Sauter AG. Other manufacturing companies followed.
During the 20th century, agriculture became less important. Commercial fisheries mostly disappeared. However, some fish breeding and the Gropp Carnival remain. The UBS Training Center at Schloss Wolfsberg opened in 1975. The Entrepreneurs’ Forum Lilienberg started in 1989. These turned Ermatingen into a nationally known training site. In 2000, almost two-thirds of jobs were in the services sector. Ermatingen has hosted the Wolfsberg Group since its founding in 1999.
Today, Ermatingen is a vibrant municipality. It has a rich history and a bright future. It is known as a nationally known training site. Ermatingen is a great place to live and visit. The villages of Ermatingen and Triboltingen are part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites. Also the Untersee region is listed.
I hope you enjoyed learning about Ermatingen. It’s a place where history and progress come together. Thank you for joining me on this tour.