A Short Visit to Switzerland’s History Packed Canton of Aargau

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The Canton of Aargau

The Canton of Aargau sits right at the center of the Swiss plateau (the relatively flat lowlands between the Alps and Jura mountains) and, by virtue of that geography, it is incredibly well connected with the rest of Switzerland. Thousands of commuters, including myself, either live in or pass through the Canton every day on their way to and from Zurich.

Despite that, I rarely seem to get the chance to truly explore the Canton. In past years we have made forays into Aargau, but every one of our three or four visits this year seemed to come with other plans... From birthday parties to races to work events we have spent a disproportionate amount of time in Aargau this year without actually seeing much of the Canton.

In an effort to make a real trip out of Aargau I planned a visit to the Canton’s capital, Aarau last week. Unfortunately, a lingering head cold and an early winter snow storm had other plans…

With the end of the year rapidly approaching, its likely that we won’t have time to head back to Aargau again this year. No doubt we will be back again in the new year, but I still want to give you at least a small taste of what Aargau has to offer before we round out the year and our One Year: 26 Cantons posts.

This week is really just a snippet of Aargau, a short visit we made of the old town of Brugg before meeting up with some friends. We didn't even take more than a couple photos. That said, while our visit was brief, it proved remarkably engaging. For centuries, this tiny town has played an absolutely outsized role in the history of Europe and I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

Thanks for joining us!

A Bridge Over The River Aare

Arriving at the Brugg train station (actually in Windisch about 10 minutes walk from the Brugg old town) is no great feat. From the Berner Oberland it only takes about an hour and a half with a quick switch in Olten to get to this well-connected heart of Aargau. From Zurich the direct trip is even shorter, only about half-an-hour.

Of course, before cars and trains, travel across the Swiss Plateau was much more grueling. Between the high mountains of the Alps and the Jura, the Aare River forms a continuous gash across the landscape, from the outlet of Lake Thun in the Berner Oberland all the way to the river’s confluence with the Rhine, a 291 km (181 miles) journey.

For centuries, River crossings were challenging and, in many cases, downright deadly. Over the entire length of the Aare, there are just a few constrictions and only one is narrow enough to bridge with a single tree. You guessed it, here in Brugg. Brugg literally translates to bridge and takes its name from the exceptionally important river crossing over the 12-meter wide (40 ft) Enger Hölzi gorge of the Aare.

Evidence for a bridge at this location extends all the way back to Roman times. After being defeated by Julius Caeser and his Roman Legions in modern day France around 58 BC, the Celtic Helvetii retreated back to their native homeland on the Swiss Plateau and founded a village at Windisch, just off the right bank of the Aare.

Not long thereafter, the Romans also made their way to Windisch, setting up a Legionnaire camp to house up to 6000 of the Empire's troops. For several hundred years thereafter, the Roman’s occupied the area and evidence of Vindonissa, is still ample just to the east of the Brugg train station.

While our short time frame did not leave us room to fully explore all the ruins of Vindonissa (including several gates, bath houses, kitchens, and a full amphitheater, all of which are open to the public), we did have time for a quick stop in one of the most unassuming archaeological sites in all of Switzerland.

Construction for a new technical school on the border between Brugg and Windisch in the early 2000’s uncovered its fair share of artifacts. Not a huge surprise given the wealth of Roman ruins just down the road. What archaeologist weren’t expecting to find was the literal road to Vindonissa complete with the town’s original pottery ovens.

In an inspiring effort, the site was thoughtfully preserved, and enclosed in glass to make it accessible to the public. The only catch, the site is deep underground in a non-descript parking garage. From the ground level, a small entrance to the parking structure takes you down a flight of stairs and straight to the underground ruins.

Pottery ovens underground in Windisch

One Family to Rule Them All

While Vindonissa deteriorated following the Roman retreat from Switzerland around the early 5th Century, the nearby bridge over the Aare likely remained logistically critical. There is direct evidence for Alemanni occupation of the site as far back as the 8th Century.

Around the end of the 10th Century the strategic position attracted a noble Alsace family, who constructed a sizeable castle at Altenburg just minutes down the Aare from Brugg. A few decades later, the family constructed an even larger castle on a hill several kilometers down the Aare and, as was customary at the time, they named their family after the castle. So began the House of Habsburg.

Of course, the Habsburgs went on to control much of northern Switzerland and, eventually, the entire Holy Roman Empire but they always maintained a close connection with Brugg. Near the end of the 12th Century, the family supported the construction of additional fortifications around the Aare River Bridge and, when they finally outgrew the Habsburg Castle around the 13th Century, the family made Brugg their official home.

Back at the Brugg Train Station we followed Hauptstrasse straight through the Brugg old town to the Aare. As with many of the medieval towns in Switzerland, 19th Century town planners saw it their duty to beautify the city by tearing down many of the old fortifications and only a few remain. The best-preserved tower from the city’s original 12th Century fortifications is the bridgehead Black Tower which stands guard just over the old bridge.

Interestingly, the tower is partially formed from stones pilfered from the ruins of Vindonissa. Why cut new stones when you could just grab them from down the road, am I right?

The Black Tower in Brugg (Image: Google Street View)

The Brugg Old Town

In 1415, the Habsburg’s fell out of favor for supporting the antipope John XXIII and the German King Sigismund called on the Swiss to conquer Aargau in the name of the Empire. The expansionist and ever too eager Bernese obliged, marching into, and looting much of, Aargau. Seeing the futility in resistance, the people of Brugg opened the door to the Bernese sparing many of their freedoms further down the line.

Despite a Habsburg attempt to regain the territory of their homeland during the Old Zurich War later in the 15th Century, it wasn’t until Napoleon swept across Switzerland in 1798 that Brugg, alongside the rest of Aargau regained their autonomy from the Bernese.

Today, Brugg’s small, and rather adorable, old town is quiet and a joy to explore. Traffic over the old bridge died down to a trickle in 1980’s with the construction of more modern bridges over the Aare leaving the old town seemingly lost in time.

Looking up the Hauptstrasse in the Brugg Old Town (Image: Google Street View)

You can easily cover most of the town in just a few minutes of walking but, if you have more time, there are a couple of nice museums that may be worth checking out. The City Museum of Brugg with its sizeable art and history collection can be found in the city’s former Armory near the center of the old town. Likewise, the Vindonissa Museum, right on the edge of the old town, is meant to offer a substantial collection of artifacts relating to the town’s Roman past.

If you are feeling even more eager, go check out Vindonissa in Windisch or Altenberg Castle, the Habsburg’s first home just a half mile or so up the river from Brugg’s town center. Down the road from the train station there is even a full train museum though it should be noted that the museum holds somewhat irregular hours.

As an aside, the SBB, Switzerland’s National Railway, has their historic foundation based in Brugg. While you will have to schedule a tour to explore their historic trains, their online blog is a fantastic resource if you are interested in Switzerland’s railway history. Check it out at https://www.sbbhistoric.ch/blog.

We hope you enjoyed hearing about our short visit to Brugg and Windisch. You can check out the other posts in this project our One Year: 26 Canton page! Stay tuned for additional articles on our Swiss travels every week!

Until next time, gute Reise, and feel free to leave a comment on one of our social media platforms!