Baden, Switzerland
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| Baden | ||||||||||
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| Population | 16,845 (December 2006) | |||||||||
| - Density | 1,279 /km² (3,313 /sq.mi.) | |||||||||
| Area | 13.17 km² (5.1 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 381 m (1,250 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 5400 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 4021 | |||||||||
| Mayor (list) | Stephan Attiger (as of 2008) FDP/PRD | |||||||||
| Surrounded by (view map) |
Birmenstorf, Ennetbaden, Fislisbach, Gebenstorf, Mellingen, Neuenhof, Obersiggenthal, Turgi, Wettingen | |||||||||
| Twin towns | Sighisoara (Romania) | |||||||||
| Website | www.baden.ch | |||||||||
![Baden [zoom] (Switzerland)](../../../../images/shared/thumb/c/cf/Karte_Schweiz.png/265px-Karte_Schweiz.png)
![Baden [zoom]](../../../../images/shared/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/8px-Red_pog.svg.png){kind=small}
Baden is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Aargau, on the west bank of the river Limmat, 25 km northwest of Zürich. It is the seat of the district of Baden.
Its population as of the end of 2005 was 16,844.
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[edit] Sights
Baden is chiefly renowned for its hot sulphur springs, which are mentioned by Tacitus (Histories i. cap. 7), and are considered to be especially beneficial for cases of gout or rheumatic problems. The main Spa lies a little to the north of the old town beside the river Limmat. Many Roman remains have been found in and around the beautiful gardens of the Kursaal. The town, dominated on the west by the ruined castle of Stein, is very picturesque, with steep and narrow streets, a Medieval wooden bridge and one surviving gateway. The old town, the Tagsatzung room in the city hall, the 1847 railway station and the building of the Stiftung Langmatt are listed as heritage sites of national significance.[1]
[edit] History
The castle Stein, formerly a stronghold of the Habsburgs, was destroyed in 1415 and again in 1712. In 1415, Baden (along with Aargau) was conquered by the Eight Swiss Confederates, whose bailiff inhabited the other castle, on the right bank of the Limmat, which defends the ancient bridge across the river. As the conquest of the Aargau was the first made by the Confederates, their delegates (or the federal diet) naturally met at Baden, from 1426 to about 1712, to settle matters relating to these subject lands, so that during that period Baden was effectively the capital of Switzerland. The diet sat in the beautifully carved diet hall in the town-hall or Rathaus, which can be visited. In 1714 the Treaty of Baden was signed, which put to an end to the war between France and the Holy Roman Empire, and thus completed the treaty of Utrecht (1713). Baden was the capital of the canton of Baden, from 1798 until 1803, when the canton of Aargau was created.
Having attained popularity as a Spa and 'Kur-Ort' (Cure resort) during the 15th and 16th centuries, Baden remained popular and was later frequented by an array of prominent people including Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Friedrich Nietzsche, Thomas Mann, and Hermann Hesse, who was to become a particular devotee, visiting the town annually over a period of almost 30 years.
[edit] Economy
In the 19th and 20th century Baden became an industrial town, main seat of the former Brown Boveri Company. Most industrial facilities have moved, but Baden is still the seat of many of the engineering services of ABB and the power service arm of Alstom. The former industrial quarter to the north of the city is now being redeveloped into offices, shopping and leisure facilities.
There is also a Casino in Baden[1].
[edit] Surrounding area
One mile S. of Baden, on the Limmat, is the famous Cistercian monastery of Wettingen (1227-1841), with splendid old painted glass in the cloisters and magnificent early 17th century carved stalls in the choir of the church. Six miles W. of Baden is the small town of Brugg (9,500 inhabitants) in a fine position on the Aare, and close to the remains of the Roman colony of Vindonissa (Windisch), as well as to the monastery (founded 1310) of Koenigsfelden, formerly the burial-place of the early Habsburgs (the castle of Habsburg is but a short way off), still retaining much fine medieval painted glass.
[edit] Transportation
Baden was the destination of the first railway in Switzerland, the Spanisch Brötli Bahn transporting the richer people from Zürich to the baths of Baden. Today Baden is a regular stop on the railway lines Zürich-Basel and Zürich-Bern.
The A1 motorway tunnel Baregg is a major junction in the area. It was undergoing construction until 2004 and has been subject to controversy. In 2003, a third tunnel hole was opened to vehicles on the motorway.
[edit] Personages
- Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown (1863–1924), Joint founder of BBC (today ABB) and freeman
- Walter Boveri (1865–1924), Joint founder of BBC (today ABB) and freeman
- Albert Hofmann (1906–2008); Chemist and discoverer of LSD
- Rainer Huber (*1948), Cantonal councillor of canton Aargau
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official webpage of the city of Baden
- Schools in Baden
- Baden in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
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