Amriswil near the Bodensee in Canton Thurgau is a traffic junction, where roads from Romanshorn, Arbon, St. Gallen, Kreuzlingen, Bischofszell and Weinfelden meet. Hagenwil Castle, the only moated castle in Thurgau, is nearby.

In Roman times, a Roman road probably ran between Vitudurum (Winterthur) via Amriswil to Arbor Felix (Arbon). Amriswil lies «hidden» behind the Seerücken in the hilly hinterland of the Bodensee. Because of its convenient location, Amriswil remains a stage point for hiking and biking tours.

Worth seeing: the large neo-Gothic Protestant church with its 75-metre-high steeple, the highest church steeple in Canton Thurgau, Switzerland’s first school museum and the local museum in the old rectory with historic shoemaker’s workshop. With the Pentorama, Amriswil now has an architecturally innovative new multi-purpose building.

The Bohlenständer (vertical timbering) building is one of Thurgau’s few examples of this typical 16th century construction. It houses a small museum documenting the lifestyle of the farming community during times of self-sufficiency around 1920. The tranquil reed beds of the Hudelmoos nature reserve nestle on a high plateau in the municipal areas of Amriswil, Muolen and Zihlschlacht-Sitterdorf. The variety of fauna and flora makes a visit well worthwhile.

Hagenwil Castle, the only remain moated castle in eastern Switzerland and now a restaurant, is in the neighbouring village of Hagenwil to the south. The moat surrounds the castle walls, the oldest sections of which are almost 1000 years old. The area long served as a place of recuperation for the monks from the St. Gallen Monastery.

Highlights

• Hagenwil moated castle – only remaining moated castle in eastern Switzerland. Now a restaurant.