and Niedertor (city gate) and the Strasshof dominated the southwest corner while the church and Oberturm (upper tower) were in the northwestern corner. The so-called Gachnanger Stock was in the northeast and the Spiegelhof with Holdertor (city gate) were in the southeast corner. In the 15th century the city was slowly fortified, but even in 1460 the outer rows of houses were not protected by city walls. In the 16th century most of the houses in the city were built from stone. The two city fires of 1771 and 1788 destroyed nearly all the houses, so that the current face of the old city dates from the end of the 18th century. The Protestant Reformation affected the city. Although in 1531 only about 70 Catholics lived in the city, the Catholic Cantons helped administer Frauenfeld and the rest of the Thurgau. Catholic membership in the town council never fell below 33% and the two denominations alternated appointing mayors. For church affairs ever existed a Protestant and a Catholic Grand and Lesser Councils, which supervised the two schools in the city. The City Church and the Church in Oberkirch were initially shared churches. The Protestant pastor was appointed by the city's own Protestants after 1537. However, it wasn't until 1645 that the Protestants had their own church. The castle of Frauenfeld is an example of late baroque and classical architecture. The Rathaus dates from Frauenfeld's second period of prominence in the 18th century. Starting in 1712, the gathering of Swiss Eidgenossen took place alternately in Frauenfeld and Baden. In 1742, this gathering took Frauenfeld as its regular meetingplace. The fall of the old Old Swiss Confederacy in 1798 as a result of the French invasion brought an end to the gatherings in Frauenfeld. End of the Ancien Régime Following the French invasion of the Confederation, Thurgau was created as a full canton in the Helvetic Republic. The new constitution of 1798 established Frauenfeld as the capital of the new canton. However, the choice of Frauenfeld was controversial. Both the cities of Winterthur and Constance were considered, but the main alternative to Frauenfeld was Weinfelden. While Frauenfeld was near the border with Zürich, Weinfelden is located in the geographic center of the canton. Frauenfeld was the capital when Thurgau was under Confederation control, while Weinfelden was a leader in the Thurgau Freedom movement. While Frauenfeld eventually remained the capital, since 1832 the