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 511 M . N.E. of Zurich, 121 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 Zurich 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 .