Lenzburg
| Lenzburg | ||||||||||
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| Population | 7,731 (2006[update]) | |||||||||
| - Density | 682 /km² (1,767 /sq.mi.) | |||||||||
| Area | 11.33 km² (4.4 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 405 m (1,329 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 5600 | |||||||||
| Mayor | Hans Huber (as of 2008) FDP/PRD | |||||||||
| Surrounded by (view map) |
Ammerswil, Egliswil, Hendschiken, Möriken-Wildegg, Niederlenz, Othmarsingen, Rupperswil, Seon, Staufen | |||||||||
| Website | www.lenzburg.ch | |||||||||
![Lenzburg [zoom] (Switzerland)](/2009-wikipedia_en_wp1-0.7_2009-05/I/265px_Karte_Schweiz.png) ![Lenzburg [zoom]](/2009-wikipedia_en_wp1-0.7_2009-05/I/16px_Red_pog_svg.png){kind=small} Lenzburg [zoom]
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Lenzburg is a village in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the district of the same name. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare delta. Lenzburg and the neighbouring municipalities of Niederlenz and Staufen have grown together in an agglomeration.
Lenzburg lies 30 km west of Zurich. There is a fast public transport connection through Lenzburg from Zurich to Basel. Many people commute to Zurich or its airport at Kloten each day.
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History
The oldest excavations originate from Neolithic times, some over 5,000 years old. A Roman theatre was uncovered when the motorway was built in 1964. It was part of a small settlement with 500 inhabitants that existed for approximately 200 years. The settlement was abandoned in the 3rd century. In the 5th and 6th centuries, an Alamanni settlement existed. The oldest registered usage of the name Lencis (from which Lenzburg derives) is from 893 AD.
In 1036, Schloss Lenzburg was used for the first time as seat for the count of Lenzburg, then an important lord. The house however died out in 1173, and the castle was then transferred to emperor Frederick Barbarossa. In the following period, it was mainly used by the Kyburger house. The Habsburgs took over the castle in 1273. City rights were granted in 1306.
Lenzburg was conquered by Bern in 1415, along with the western part of current Aargau, though Bern did not take away its city rights. In 1433, the city of Bern bought the castle and used it to govern the region from 1444 to 1798. A major fire devastated the town in 1491, sparing only fifteen houses. The Reformation was carried out simultanuously with the rest of the region in 1528, and the economy started to transform slowly from an agrarian to a more industrial one in the 16th century. A textile factory was founded in 1732.
In 1798, the Helvetian Republic was proclaimed and the lords from Bern were ousted. The canton of Aargau was founded and Lenzburg became the capital of the district in 1803. The canton gained the castle in 1804. Lenzburg transformed into the economic centre of the region in the 19th century. Many people in the area worked for the "Wool lords" (German: Baumwollherren). In 1875, Lenzburg was connected to the railway system, and bankruptcy followed only one year later: the competition was too much. The recovery followed relatively quickly in the following decade.
The castle changed hands several times in the 19th and 20th century. In 1860, it was bought by Frank Wedekind, a poet from Germany. In 1893, it was purchased by Americans and renovated. Finally, in 1956, it was bought by the canton and since been used to house a museum.
Sites of interest
The undisputed landmark of the city is the Lenzburg castle, built in the 11th century and since enlarged on several occasions. Lenzburg ranks among the oldest and most important high-castles in Switzerland. The castle is located on a hill and towers about 100 meters above the city level. The old part of the town at the foot of the hill is U-shaped and in very good condition, consisting of a main road with two parallel alleys and another lane. Only parts of the city wall have been preserved and are now under monument protection. The old town, the castle, its historical museum, the castle hill with its Neolithic burial grounds, and the archaeological site on the Lindfeld with its Roman theater, vicus and burial site are listed as heritage sites of national significance.[1]
Some notable buildings in the old town include:
- Town church, built 1667
- City hall at Rathausgasse 31
- Old Burghalde, built in 1628
- New Burghalde, built in 1794: with symmetrical Early-Classical building with an outdoor staircase and a gate.
- Library
- The Museum Burghalde
- Roman theatre, from the 1st century A.D.
- Aquatinta
Economics
Lenzburg is an important economic centre, containing over 800 enterprises, of which about 80% in the service sector. The majority of businesses are in the small and medium enterprise bracket, but a number of international companies are established in Lenzburg, such as the multinational ABB and the meat processing plant Traitafina. Lenzburg has a total workforce of around 6,000.
Transportation
Lenzburg is an important transportation hub and is only 25 km from Zurich, with close access to the A1, Switzerland's most important east-west road connection. A partially underground road named "Kerntangente" was constructed to draw through-traffic away from the city centre.
Express trains of the Jurasüdfuss and Zürich-Aarau-Basel lines pass through Lenzburg, with urther lines leading to Brugg, Lucerne, Zofingen and Zug. Lenzburg also has a connection to the Zürcher S-Bahn.
Zurich International Airport is within close reach.
The local transit Regionalbus Lenzburg leads to Brunegg, Dintikon, Möriken-Wildegg, Schafisheim and Seengen. The town is also served by an urban bus route.
Events
- For over 400 years the youth celebration is the largest event in Lenzburg, taking place every year on the second Friday of July.
- In August the Gauklerfestival takes place in the streets of the old part of town with international delicacies.
People
- Philipp Albert Stapfer, Minister of the Helvetic Republic 1766-1840.
Literature
- Fritz Stuber, Jürg Lang et al., Stadtbilduntersuchung Altstadt Lenzburg (Townscape Investigation of the Historic Part of Lenzburg), Urbanistics, Zurich 1976, ISBN 3 85957 001 3, 168 p., 234 ill.
References
- ↑ Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance (1995), p. 41.
External links
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