Lenzburg

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Lenzburg

Country	Switzerland
Canton	Aargau
District	Lenzburg
Coordinates	47°23′N 8°11′E
Population	7702 (2007)
Area	11.33 km² (4.37 sq mi)
Elevation	405 m (1,329 ft)
Postal code	5600
Mayor	Rolf Bachmann (2003)
Surrounded by (view map)	Ammerswil, Egliswil, Hendschiken, Möriken-Wildegg, Niederlenz, Othmarsingen, Rupperswil, Seon, Staufen
Website	www.lenzburg.ch
Lenzburg [zoom]

Lenzburg is a municipality in the district of Lenzburg in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland. It is the capital city of the district. The town was founded in the Middle Ages. It lies in the Seetal valley, about 3km south of the Aare delta. Lenzburg and the municipalities of Niederlenz and Staufen have merged together over time. As of January 2007, Lenzburg had a population of about 7,700 people^[1].

Lenzburg is about 30km west of Zürich. Many people living in Lenzburg go to Zürich to work.

1 History
2 Places of interest
3 Economics
4 Transportation
5 Events
6 References
7 Other websites

[change] History

Castle Lenzburg as seen from the south

A Roman theatre was uncovered when the motorway was built in 1964. It was part of a small settlement of 500 inhabitants that existed for about 200 years.^[2] The settlement was abandoned in the 3rd century. In the 5th and 6th centuries, an Alamanni village existed. The oldest registered usage of the name Lencis (from which Lenzburg derives) is in 893 AD.

In 1036, Castle Lenzburg was used for the first time as the seat for the count of Lenzburg, then an important lord. The family died out in 1173, and the castle became owned by emperor Frederick Barbarossa. After this, 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 what is now Aargau. Bern did not take away its city rights. In 1433, the city of Bern bought the castle and used it to govern the area from 1444 to 1798. A major fire ruined the town in 1491. Only fifteen houses were not destroyed. The reformation was carried out at the same time with the rest of the region in 1528. The economy started to move slowly from a farming economy to a more industrial one in the 16th century. A textile factory was founded in 1732.

In 1798, the Helvetian Republic was made and the lords from Bern were removed. The canton of Aargau was founded and Lenzburg became the capital of the district in 1803. The canton gained the castle in 1804. Lenzburg became the economic center of the area in the 19th century. In 1875, Lenzburg was added to the railway system. Competition for trade became too much and Lenzburg became bankrupt only one year later. The town recovered from bankruptcy during the next 10 years.

[change] Places of interest

New Burghalde and Old Burghalde in Lenzburg

The main place to see in the town is the Lenzburg castle. It was built in the 11th century and has been added onto several times. Lenzburg is among the oldest and most important high-castles in Switzerland. Some of the city wall has been kept and is now under protection. Some interesting buildings are located in the old part of town. These include:

Town church, built 1667
Old Burghalde, built in 1628
New Burghalde, built in 1794
A library
The Museum Burghalde
Roman theatre, from the 1st century A.D.
Aquatinta

[change] Economics

Lenzburg is an important economic centre. It contains over 800 companies. Most of the businesses are small to medium sized, but some worldwide companies are established in Lenzburg, for example the global Asea Brown Boveri (ABB). About 6,000 people work in Lenzburg.

[change] Transportation

Lenzburg is a good place for transportation. It is only 25 km from Zürich with access to the A1, Switzerland's most important roadway. There was an underground roadway built.

Fast trains of the Jurasüdfuss and Zürich-Aarau-Basel lines pass through Lenzburg. Other lines lead to Brugg, Lucerne, Zofingen and Zug.

Zürich International Airport is close to the town of Lenzburg.

The local bus Regionalbus Lenzburg leads to the municipalities of Brunegg, Dintikon, Möriken-Wildegg, Schafisheim and Seengen. Lenzburg has a metro bus system as well.

[change] Events

For over 400 years, the youth celebration (Jugendfest^[3]) the largest event in Lenzburg. It takes place every year on the second Friday of July.
In August, the Gauklerfestival^[3] takes place in the streets of the old part of town with good food and entertainment on the streets of the city.