Teufen and the Textile Industrie

23 August 2023

Teufen was first mentioned in 1272 as “Tiuffen”. The hamlet was a district of the abbey of St Gallen. In 1377, several villages of Appenzell (Urnäsch, Teufen and Gais) joined the Schwäbischen Städtebund (‘Swabian League of Cities’)  or the Bund der Bodenseestädte with the permission of the abbot of the abbey. From 1429, Teufen was a Rhode in the independent land of Appenzell, an ally or Zugewandter Ort of the Swiss Confederation.

During the Reformation, Teufen adopted the new religion along with the other äusseren Rhoden. Following the Landsgemeinde decree in 1525, each municipality could decide whether to adhere to the old faith or adopt the new one. The religious differences eventually led to the country’s division in 1597. Since then, Teufen has belonged to the canton of Appenzell Ausserhoden.

Teufen’s economic boom was due to linen weaving and, later, cotton textiles. The municipality, still a poor Rhode in 1597, was one of the wealthiest municipalities in the canton in the 19th century.

The basis for its growth and prosperity was the textile industry (weaving and embroidery) that emerged from the 17th century onwards. Teufen developed into a textile manufacturing village with many villas and merchant houses.

In the 1890s, however, the textile industry experienced a severe crisis, from which it briefly recovered before ultimately collapsing for good after the First World War. However, the stately merchant houses and numerous embroidery houses along the streets serve as reminders of this era.

(Source and further information: Gemeinde Teufen; Kulturpfad Teufen)