Arbon

Arbon-Bleiche 3 is one of the most thoroughly investigated Neolithic lakeshore settlements in central Europe, on the shores of Lake Constance. Rescue excavations between 1993 and 1995 uncovered 27 houses built using posts of white fir, each approximately 4 by 8 metres. Construction began in 3384 BC, dated precisely by dendrochronology. In 3370 BC, after only 15 years, the entire village burned down and was never rebuilt. The fire paradoxically created superb preservation: a single-layer settlement sealed under protective sand. Analysis of approximately 70,000 animal bones and botanical remains revealed an economy based on cereals, hazelnuts, and hunting. In 2011, the site was inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps.'

The Latin name Arbor Felix ('happy tree' or 'fortunate tree') first appears in the Itinerarium Antonini around 300 AD, a Roman road guide. Arbor Felix served as a fortified post station on the Roman road from Vindonissa (Windisch) via Ad Fines (Pfyn) to Brigantium (Bregenz). The fort had an irregular pentagonal shape on a peninsula, surrounded by Lake Constance on three sides. The Notitia Dignitatum records a numerus barcariorum -- a military flotilla patrolling the lake. The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus records that Emperor Gratian passed through Arbor Felix in 378 AD, hurrying eastward before the catastrophic Battle of Adrianople.

Saint Gallus (c. 550-c. 650 AD), an Irish monk from Bangor in present-day Northern Ireland, was one of the twelve companions of Saint Columbanus on his Christian mission to the European continent. In 612, when Columbanus departed Bregenz for Italy, Gallus stayed behind due to illness and was nursed back to health at Arbon. After recovering, he withdrew into the forests near the River Steinach. According to legend, a bear charged out of the forest one evening; Gallus rebuked the animal, and the awed bear gathered firewood and returned to share the fire. The bear is said to have followed Gallus as a companion. Gallus died around 645-650 AD at about ninety-five years of age in Arbon. In 719, Abbot Otmar expanded his hermitage into the Abbey of St. Gall, one of medieval Europe's most important intellectual centers.

A castle in Arbon was first mentioned in 720 in the chronicles of the Abbey of St. Gall, built on or near the foundations of the Roman fort. Around 700 AD, Arbon came under the ownership of the Bishopric of Constance. The oldest surviving part of the present castle is a residential tower dating to 993. Bishop Hugo von Hohenlandenberg, Bishop of Constance from 1496, rebuilt and expanded the castle between 1515 and 1518 into its current form. A Roman bathhouse was discovered during 1986 excavations beneath the Church of St. Martin. Remains of a late Roman watchtower built around 280 AD survive in the old town. The castle today houses the Historisches Museum Arbon, taking visitors through 5,500 years of settlement history.

In 1853, Franz Saurer established an iron foundry in St. Gallen producing pots and pans. In 1863, the firm relocated to Arbon on Lake Constance, pivoting to textile machinery to serve eastern Switzerland's booming embroidery industry. Hippolyt Saurer began developing petrol engines in 1896, and the first Saurer truck -- a five-ton model powered by a 30 hp petrol engine -- was built in 1903. In 1904, Saurer developed the world's first exhaust brake for commercial vehicles. Before World War I, Saurer was probably the leading European producer of heavy commercial vehicles. At its peak, Saurer employed over 5,000 people in Arbon. The Saurer Museum displays about 20 historic vehicles, including the Caminhao -- a 1911 truck discovered in Brazil and returned to Arbon in 2003.

Arbon's old town features colourful half-timbered houses, Rococo facades, and medieval structures built atop the thick walls of the former city fortifications. Fischmarktplatz (Fish Market Square) is the social heart, featuring a shell-shaped fountain with a bronze fisherwoman. The lakeside promenade stretches for three kilometres along Lake Constance, lined with a chestnut avenue. Untertorgasse preserves a row of houses whose foundations incorporate the medieval defensive walls. The old town walking tour identifies nine historical stations, including the Roman fort Arbor Felix, the Roman bath complex, and the Galluskapelle dedicated to Saint Gallus.

Thurgau is known as 'Mostindien' (Apple Juice India) -- the canton produces roughly one-third of Switzerland's eating apples and nearly half of its juicing apples. Mosterei Moehl, founded in 1895 in Arbon, has been producing apple juice, cider, and apple wine for five generations and is one of only two large-scale apple juice companies in all of Switzerland. In 2018, the Moehl family opened the MoMoe (Museum of Modern Oepfel) -- the first Swiss cidery and distillery museum, spread over 1,000 square metres. The interactive museum traces the journey from orchard to bottle. Arbon's original cider is a local specialty recommended to visitors along the Lake Constance cycle path.

The Notitia Dignitatum, the late Roman administrative register, records a numerus barcariorum stationed at Arbor Felix -- a military flotilla unit patrolling Lake Constance. The fort at Arbon was probably constructed under Emperor Diocletian in the late 3rd century, built on the peninsula's elevated position with walls 2.6 metres thick, surrounded by the lake on three sides. The fort was occupied until the late 5th century. Arbon-Bleiche 2 and 3 pile dwelling sites, dating to the 4th millennium BC, are located along the same shoreline. Remains of a late Roman watchtower built around 280 AD are still visible in the old town today.