History of Arbon

The largest local and regional history museum in Thurgau awaits the visitor in the medieval Arbon Castle with its defense tower. The modern permanent exhibition takes him on an exciting journey through time through 5,500 years of exciting settlement history on Lake Constance.

The thick walls of the medieval city fortifications were often used as foundation walls for residential houses. The row of houses on Untertorgasse is a particularly impressive example of this type of construction. After demolishing a few houses with poor structural fabric, the idyllic Fischmarktplatz was created, where the view of the beautifully restored neighboring houses, some with half-timbered and frescoed buildings, and the ‹Posthof›, a large-city block development built in 1905/1906, was created. The shell-shaped fountain with the teasing fisherwoman made of bronze gives this place a further special charm to linger. The square is the location of various markets, concerts and festivals all year round.

The striking building with a ‹Gothic› row of arcades and ridge turrets in the old town is still recognizable as a place of worship from the outside, even if it has served exclusively secular purposes since 1789 and has been repeatedly rebuilt.
Among other things, the ‹Kappeli› also served as a second hand shop.

In 1992 the building was examined and documented for the first time by the St. Gallen Technical School under the direction of the architect Heinz Nyffenegger. With the help of dendrochronology, it was found that the roof structure was built around 1389/1390 or 1494/1495. In addition, some areas of the colored paintings in the chapel were uncovered, which show that it is an important architectural monument from the high Middle Ages.

In addition to medieval findings, the late antique moat of Arbor Felix has been cut. This ran far upstream, parallel to the mighty fortification walls of the fort from the 4th century AD.

The fortified late Roman fort Arbor Felix (‹the happy tree›) dates from the year 250 AD, which the Romans had to leave at the time of the Great Migration around 400 AD. Later the castle became the episcopal property of Constance. Episcopal administrators, later chief bailiffs, lived in the castle for over a thousand years. Bishop Hugo von Hohenlandenberg expanded the complex from 1510 to 1518 in the form it is today. The castle came into private ownership around 1800 and has been the property of the city of Arbon since 1945. After extensive interior and exterior restorations, the castle with its 33 meter high, striking tower has housed the historical museum for over 30 years. An institution for adult education and the cozy ‹Wirtschaft zum Schloss› are also at home in the castle today. Weddings and other celebrations are often held in the historic walls. The stylish Landenbergsaal (named after its builder, Hugo von Hohenlandenberg) offers the dignified setting. Arbon Castle is today a regionally important cultural meeting center.

Since 2012 there has been the in Arbon  Women's city tour . It is organized by a group of committed women who have taken on Arbon women's history. In a scenic tour, they revive everyday life, the activities and social position of women from the past.

An illustrated information board and the memorial stone commemorating the earliest discoveries (1885 and 1944/45) are located on the site of the discovery. The site cannot be visited. The most important original finds are exhibited in the Historisches Museum Schloss Arbon and in the Museum of Archeology Thurgau in Frauenfeld.