1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Romanshorn

ROMANSHORN, an important commercial town in the Swiss canton of Thurgau. It is situated on the west shore of the lake of Constance, and by rail is 51/2 m. N.E. of Zürich, 121/2 m. S.E. of Constance, and 10 m. N.W. of Rorschach. In 1900 its population was 4577, mostly German-speaking, while there were 3093 Protestants to 1478 Romanists. Originally a small fishing village, it belonged to the abbot of St Gall from 1432 to 1798, when it became part of the canton of Thurgau. In 1856 the railway from Romanshorn to Zürich was opened, and this vastly increased the commercial importance of Romanshorn. Nowadays it is the centre of a great transit trade, as it communicates, by means of the lake, with the principal towns on its shores. The corn trade and that in timber are among the most important, while there are many industrial establishments. It is essentially a modern commercial centre.