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Aarburg
Aarburg
Canton	Aargau
District	Zofingen
	47°19′N 7°54′E / 47.317°N 7.9°ECoordinates: 47°19′N 7°54′E / 47.317°N 7.9°E
Population	6,599 (December 2006)
- Density	1,496 /km2 (3,876 /sq mi)
Area	4.41 km2 (1.70 sq mi)
Elevation	412 m (1,352 ft)
Postal code	4663
SFOS number	4271
Surrounded by; (view map)	Oftringen, Olten (SO), Rothrist, Starrkirch-Wil (SO)
Website	www.aarburg.ch; SFSO statistics
; Aarburg [zoom]

Aarburg is a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. The population was 6485 (at the end of 2003).

Aarburg Fortress

The small town lies in the southwest Aargau at an Engnis Aare in the lower Wiggertal. It lies in the intersection of the most important traffic routes of Switzerland. The dominant landmark is the Aarburg Fortress, one of Switzerland's largest castles and a heritage site of national significance.^[1]. The visual character of Aarburg is shaped by the fortification and the church on a rock spur.

[edit] History

In Roman times a road went by Aarburg, connecting the Olten region with the rest of inner Switzerland. During the construction of a factory in the 20th century, a hoard of coins produced during the reign of Emperor Tetricus I was discovered. The coin hoard was probably buried during the Bagauden Invasions in 284 C.E.

When, precisely, the fortress of Aarburg was constructed on the rocky outcropping is unknown. The first time it was documented was in 1123, when it was listed as the property of the Grafen von Frohburg family. From this castle the Bailiwick of Aarburg was governed, what is today the western part of the county of Zofingen, though not the city of Zofigen itself. In 1299 the Frohburgs sold the castle and the Bailiwick of Aarburg to the Habsburg family. The settlement at the foot of the castle was clearly identified as a town in the year 1330. Archeological evidence has shown that the city was probably founded around the year 1312.

Wedged between the cities of Olten and Zofingen, with only four kilometers between them, Aarburg could not develop commercially and remained a small town. The people of Aarburg lived mainly on the tariff revenues that commerce along the Gotthard Pass provided. A small harbor on the Aare river was constructed in 1361. The resulting river boat traffic was of great economic importance until the 16th and 17th centuries.

After a short siege the city was captured by Bern on the 14th of April, 1415. In 1416, the castle became the residence of the bailiff of the Bailiwick of Aarburg. Under control of Bern, the castle was expanded into a fortress in the 16th and 17th centuries, in order to protect the alliance between the Reformed cities of Bern and Zurich from attack by their Catholic neighbors.

On the 4th of May, 1840 the town and fortress were captured by France without a struggle. The district of Aarburg was dissolved and the regional administrative functions of the French imposed Helvetic Republic were moved to Zofingen. The newly established Canton of Aargau took over the fortress in 1804, initially using it as a jail and prison. Since 1893 the castle has housed a canton-run school.

A huge fire destroyed much of the premises and the church on the 4th of May, 1840, leaving 88 families homeless. The village was rebuilt, though without the main fortifications. On the rock spur, near the castle, a church was raised up between 1842 and 1845 in the new gothic style.

The first textile factory was opened in 1824. The railway station was opened in on the 9th of July, 1856 along the Aarau – Olten – Zofingen – Emmenbrücke line; on the 16th of March, 1857, the Herzogenbuchsee line was opened, later extended to Bern. Aarburg thereby became a privileged industrial city. In the second half of the 20 century the township's population doubled due to the construction of the autobahn nearby.

[edit] Sights

The old city is located in a triangular area between the river and the wedge-shaped rock formation, which forms a natural barrier on two sides. The houses are grouped around a similarly wedge-shaped square. The town fortification on the north side was never rebuilt after the fire of 1840. Dominating the old city is a narrow, extended rock spur, on which one finds the Aarburg fortress. It was constructed at the beginning of the 12 century and expanded into a mighty fortress when it was controlled by Bern. The fortress complex is a nationally recognized cultural asset and serves as a youth center today. The fortress offers tours at 2:00 PM on Saturday for public wishing to visit.

On a terrace between the fortress and the old city one finds the reformed church. It was constructed from 1842 to 1845 in the new gothic style with two spires located on the west side. Beneath the church on the rock spur is the parsonage, constructed in 1726; until the city fire of 1840 the city gate went through its basement.