Lenzburg is a town in the central regions of the Swiss canton of Aargau and the capital of the district of the same name. The town, originating from the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare delta. Lenzburg has grown together into an agglomoration with the neigbouring municipalitios Niederlenz and Staufen .

Lenzburg liest 30 km west from Zurich. There is a fast public transpart connection from Zurich via Lenzburg to Basel. Many people commute to Zurich or its airport at Kloten each day.

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 Allemani 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. Those were important fiefs at the time. The house died out in 1173, and the castle was then transferred to emperor Barbarossa. In the following period, it was mainly used by the Kyburger house. The Habsburger 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. The city rights were not taken away. 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: in fact, only fifteen houses were spared. The reformation was carried out simultanuously with the rest of the region in 1528, and the economy started to transfrom slowly from agricultural to a more laborious one in the 16th century. A textile factory was founded in 1732.

At the end of the 18th century, in 1798, the Helvetian Republic was proclaimed and the lords from Bern were driven away. 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 got 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 switched owners a few times in the 19th and 20th century. In 1860, it was bought by Frank Wedekind, a poet from Germany. In 1893, it was owned by Americans and renovated. Finally, in 1956, it was bought by the canton and has been a historical museum since.

Sites of Interest

The undisputed landmark of the city is the Lenzburg castle, built in the 11th century and several times enlarged since then. 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. It consists of a main lane with two parallel running alleys and another lane. Only parts of the city wall have been preserved; the remainders were placed however under monumental protection. In the old part of the town some remarkable buildings are located:

• Town church, built 1667
• City hall at 31 Rathausgasse
• 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 situation. It gives over 800 enterprises, about which 80% are active in the service sector. The main business is the KMU enterprises. But also international companies established in Lenzburg. In addition, the technology company ABB, the meat processing plant Traitafina and Hero. Altogether there are about 6,000 jobs in Lenzburg.

Transportation

Lenzburg is an important traffic junction, approximately 25 km from Zurich. Since the express trains of Jurasüdfuss-Line and the Zürich-Aarau-Basel in Lenzburg, are centers of dense development as well as the Zurich International Airport with public means of transport attainable. Further lines lead Brugg, Lucerne, Zofingen and Zug . Lenzburg receives a connection to Zürcher S-Bahn .

The local transit Regionalbus Lenzburg lead after Brunegg , Dintikon, Möriken-Wildegg , Schafisheim and Seengen . Within Lenzburg, a bus route operates.

Lenzburg has access to the N1 , the most important east-west road connection of Switzerland. A partial underground road named "Kerntangente" is under construction which will decrease transit traffic away from the city centre.

Events

• For over 400 years the youth celebration is the largest event in Lenzburg. It takes 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 , 1766-1840. Stapfer was a Minister Helvetic republic.

External links

• Schloss Lenzburg
• Historisches Museum des Kantons Aargau on Lenzburg