Industrial educational trail Hauptwil – Bischofszell

The oldest industrial history facilities are located in Hauptwil, where already existing small ponds provided the natural conditions for five fish ponds to be created here in 1430. The modest water supply thus became regulatable, which improved the conditions for hydropower systems. Since the 15th century, water wheels have powered mills and a sawmill in the Sorn valley and Hauptwil. Alongside the freedom from guilds, the favorable water conditions of the Hauptwil pond system were decisive for the location choice of the Gonzenbach brothers, who made the place a trading and manufacturing town in the 17th century.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the water system was steadily expanded, so that even in the age of industrialization, water wheels remained the only drive motors until around 1900.