Aargau (German 
Aargau (help·info); rarely anglicized Argovia) is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau (meaning Aare district).
History
In early medieval times, Argovia or Argowe was a disputed border region between the duchies of Alamannia and Burgundy. A line of the von Wetterau (Conradines) intermittently held the countship of Aargau from 750 until about 1030, when they lost it (having in the meantime taken the name von Tegerfelden). From the extinction of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in 1254 until 1415, the area was ruled by the Habsburgs, and many castles from that time still stand (examples include Habsburg, Lenzburg, Tegerfelden, Bobikon, Stin and Wildegg). The Habsburgs founded a number of monasteries (with some structures enduring, e.g., in Wettingen and Muri), the closing of which by the government in 1841 was a contributing factor to the outbreak of the Swiss civil war - the "Sonderbund War" - in 1847.
In 1415 the Aargau was taken from the Habsburgs by the Swiss Confederates. Bern kept the southwest portion (Zofingen, Aarburg, Aarau, Lenzburg, and Brugg). Some districts, named the Freie Ämter or free bailiwicks (Mellingen, Muri, Villmergen, and Bremgarten), with the countship of Baden, were governed as "subject lands" by all or some of the Confederates.
French forces occupied Aargau from 10 March to 18 April 1798; thereafter the Bernese portion became the canton of Aargau in the Helvetic Republic and the remainder formed the Canton of Baden. In 1803, the two halves were united under the name of canton of Aargau,[1] which was then admitted as a full member of the reconstituted Confederation. Fricktal, ceded in 1802 by Austria via Napoleonic France to the Helvetic Republic, was briefly a separate Swiss canton under a Statthalter ('Lieutenant'), but on 9 March 1803 was incorporated in the canton of Aargau.
The chief magistracy of Aargau changed its style repeatedly:
- first two consecutive Regierungsstatthalter :
- April 1798 - November 1801 Jakob Emmanuel Feer (b. 1754 - d. 1833)
- 1802 - 1803 Johann Heinrich Rothpletz (b. 1766 - d. 1833)
- Presidents of the Government Commission
- 10 March 1803 - 26 April 1803 Johann Rudolf Dolder (b. 1753 - d. 1807)
- 26 April 1803 - 1815 a 'Small Council' (president rotating monthly)
- annual Amtsbürgermeister 1815-1831
- annual Landammänner since 1815
In the year 2003 the canton of Aargau celebrated its 200th anniversary.
For several centuries[when?], two villages, Endingen and Lengnau, in Aargau were the only places in Switzerland where Jews were permitted to live[2].
Geography
Its total area is 1,404 square kilometers (542.1 sq mi). The capital is Aarau. It borders Germany to the north. To the west lie the cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Solothurn and Bern. The canton of Lucerne lies south of the canton of Aargau, Zürich and Zug to the east.
The canton of Aargau is one of the least mountainous Swiss cantons, forming part of a great table-land, to the north of the Alps and the east of the Jura, above which rise low hills. The surface of the country is beautifully diversified, undulating tracts and well-wooded hills[3] alternating with fertile valleys watered mainly by the Aar and its tributaries. The valleys alternate with pleasant hills, most of which are full of woods. Slightly over one-third of the canton is wooded (518 square kilometers (200.0 sq mi)), while nearly half is used from farming (635.7 square kilometers (245.4 sq mi)). 33.5 square kilometers (12.9 sq mi) or about 2.4% of the canton is considered unproductive, mostly lakes and streams. The canton is heavily developed, with 216.7 square kilometers (83.7 sq mi) or about 15% of the canton developed for housing or transportation.[4]
It contains the famous hot sulphur springs of Baden and Schinznach-Bad, while at Rheinfelden there are very extensive saline springs. Just below Brugg the Reuss and the Limmat join the Aar, while around Brugg are the ruined castle of Habsburg, the old convent of Koenigsfelden (with fine painted medieval glass) and the remains of the Roman settlement of Vindonissa (Windisch).
Political subdivisions
Districts
Aargau is divided into 11 districts:
Municipalities
There are a total of 231 municipalities in the canton of Aargau.
Demographics
The population of Aargau is 581,562 (2007) of which 118,407 (20.36%) are foreigners[5] Religiously, they are (as of 2000[update]) nearly evenly split between Roman Catholics (40%) and Protestants (37%).[6] German is the most common language in the canton, spoken by 87% of the population.[7]
Economy
The farmland of the canton of Aargau is some of the most fertile in Switzerland. Dairy farming, cereal and fruit farming are among the canton's main economic activities. The canton is also industrially developed, particularly in the fields of electrical engineering, precision instruments, iron, steel and cement.
Three of Switzerland's five nuclear power plants are in the canton of Aargau (Beznau I + II and Leibstadt). Additionally, the many rivers supply enough water for numerous hydroelectric power plants throughout the canton. The canton of Aargau is often called "the energy canton".
A significant number of people commute into the financial center of the city of Zürich, which is just across the cantonal border.
Tourism is significant, particularly for the hot springs at Baden and Schinznach-Bad, the ancient castles, the landscape, and the many old museums in the canton[3]. Hillwalking is another tourist attraction but is of only limited significance.
See also
References
External links
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