Bremgarten

Bremgarten is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Aargau. It serves as seat of the district of Bremgarten. The medieval old town is listed as a heritage site of national significance. In 2013, Bremgarten was the first municipality in Europe to introduce laws forbidding asylum seekers from visiting certain public places such as libraries, swimming pools, schools and churches.

On 1 January 2014 the former municipality of Hermetschwil-Staffeln merged into the municipality of Bremgarten.

History

The area was known before 1140 as Bremgarten, though the city wasn't founded until almost a century later. In 1230, a settlement was founded near the present location of Bremgarten. Then, in 1238/39 it was mentioned as Bremegarten. In 1258, it was granted city right by Rudolf I of Habsburg. Bremgarten's population grew rapidly, and it became an important market town with an outstanding Latin school. Because it was part of the Habsburg lands, the residents of Bremgarten fought at the Battles of Morgarten (1315) and Sempach on the Habsburg side.

In 1379, a courthouse was built in Bremgarten, serving as center of a new legal district. Berikon joined Bremgarten in 1374. Later, in 1410, Unterlunkhofen, Oberlunkhofen, Jonen and Arni joined. Oberwil-Lieli joined in 1429, Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg in 1430, and finally Huserhof in 1482. Two districts were created: a "high" one for Ober- and Unterlunkhofen, Arni, Islisberg, Jonen, Werd and Huserhof and a "lower" one for the remaining village.

In 1415, Aargau was conquered by the Old Swiss Confederation. While Bern kept the southwest portion which consisted of Zofingen, Aarburg, Aarau, Lenzburg, and Brugg. Bremgarten became part of the Freie Ämter or free bailiwicks. They remained relatively independent and was allowed to keep its own legal district. Bremgarten, together with the rest of the Freie Ämter (Mellingen, Muri, Villmergen, and the countship of Baden), were governed as "subject lands" by all or some of the Confederates. When Bremgarten refused the offer to join the Confederation freely, it became involved in the 1443 Old Zürich War, in which it was besieged and captured.

Bremgarten played an important role in the Reformation. An important Swiss reformer called Heinrich Bullinger was born there. As early as 1529, the official religion of the city changed. However, Catholicism was reintroduced by force in 1531 after the Battle of Kappel. Bullinger was forced into exile and moved to Zürich, where he became the successor of Huldrych Zwingli, after Zwingli had died in battle.

Catholicism lost its influence after the second Villmerger War of 1712. Bremgarten became part of the area of Zürich, Bern and Glarus. During the French Revolution, it became for a short time host to Louis-Philippe, who sought refuge from the revolutionaries. Marshal André Masséna moved into Bremgarten, along with his headquarters, before the his troops defeated those of Russia and Austria near Zürich. During the time of the Helvetic Republic, Bremgarten became part of the short-lived Canton of Baden. In 1803, finally, it joined the canton of Aargau.

The city flourished during the Industrial Revolution. Because of the growth, the city wall was taken down, and it was connected to the Swiss railway system in 1876. Only since 1912 has the city been connected with Dietikon and Wohlen by rail.

Like everywhere in Europe, the era after World War II marked a vast increase in motorised traffic. Bremgarten is located at the main road connecting Lenzburg to Zürich. Before the highway was opened, it was one of the busiest roads in Switzerland. This was a big problem, because all the traffic needed to pass a small wooden bridge in the middle of the old part of the town. The opening of the highway did not solve this problem. Only in 1994, when a bypass was constructed, the old part of the town has finally been quiet again. It is now closed to motorised traffic.

Geography

Bremgarten has an area, as of 2006, of 11.36 km2 (4.39 sq mi). Of this area, 10.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 56% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 25.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (8.4%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).

The municipality is the capital of the Bremgarten district. The upper city is located on the heights above the Reuss river. While the lower city is located along the banks of the river.

Coat of arms

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Argent a Lion rampant Gules.

Historic Population

The historical population is given in the following chart:

Heritage sites of national significance

There are nine sites in Bremgarten that are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. Before the 2014 merger with Hermetschwil-Staffeln, seven were in Bremgarten while two came from Hermetschwil-Staffeln. There are two government or administration buildings, the former Muri-Amthof at Antonigasse 2 as well as the addition to the Muri-Amthof at Antonigasse 4. Two churches are on the list, the Roman Catholic City Church with St. Klara Chapel, and the St. Anna Chapel together with the Mother of God Chapel (German: Muttergottes) on Pfarrgasse / Kirchgasse. Two fortifications are part of the inventory, the Schlössli at Schlossgässli 2 and the city walls. The final building on the list is the Weissenbach house at Antonigasse 24. The two from Hermetschwil-Staffeln were the Benedictine Convent of St. Martin, and the former Gasthaus (hotel-restaurant) at Dorfstrasse 9.

The entire village of Bremgarten is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

• Muri-Amthof

• The Schlössli or little castle

• City Church

• St. Klara Chapel

• Mother of God Chapel (German: Muttergottes)

• Mother of God Chapel, Organist house and St.Anna Chapel

Transportation

Bremgarten is located on the Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn railway, a metre gauge railway that links Dietikon and Wohlen. There are five stations within the town, and listed in order from the Dietikon end of the line these are Bibenlos-Sonnenhof, Bremgarten, Bremgarten Obertor, Bremgarten Isenlauf and Bremgarten West. Bremgarten station also hosts the administration and the depot of the company.

The line is served by route S17 of the S-Bahn Zürich, with a typical frequency of four trains per hour between Dietikon and Bremgarten West, of which two trains per hour continue to and from Wohlen. All trains stop at all stations, except in the morning, where two express trains only serve the most important stations.

Religion

From the 2000 census, 2,720 or 51.0% were Roman Catholic, while 1,146 or 21.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 12 individuals (or about 0.22% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic faith.