Zofingen

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Zofingen
Zofingen coat of arms
State : SwitzerlandSwitzerland Switzerland
Canton : Kanton AargauKanton Aargau Aargau (AG)
District : Zofingenw
BFS no. : 4289i1 f3 f4
Postal code : 4800
UN / LOCODE : CH ZLL
Coordinates : 638 303  /  237.63 thousand coordinates: 47 ° 17 '18 "  N , 7 ° 56' 42"  O ; CH1903:  638,303  /  two hundred and thirty-seven thousand six hundred thirty
Height : 437  m above sea level M.
Height range : 417-661 m above sea level M.
Area : 11.08  km²
Residents: i11,834 (December 31, 2019)
Population density : 1068 inhabitants per km²
Proportion of foreigners :
(residents without
citizenship ) 		19.7% (December 31, 2019)
Website: www.zofingen.ch
Aerial view of Zofingen: on the right the old town, in front the Heiternplatz, on the left the industrial quarter

Aerial view of Zofingen: on the right the old town, in
front the Heiternplatz, on the left the industrial quarter
Location of the municipality
Kanton Basel-Landschaft Kanton Basel-Landschaft Kanton Bern Kanton Luzern Kanton Solothurn Bezirk Aarau Bezirk Brugg Bezirk Lenzburg Bezirk Kulm Aarburg Bottenwil Brittnau Kirchleerau Kölliken Moosleerau Murgenthal Oftringen Reitnau Rothrist Safenwil Staffelbach AG Strengelbach Uerkheim Vordemwald Wiliberg ZofingenMap of Zofingen
About this picture
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Zofingen ( Swiss German Zofige , ˈtsɔfiɡə ; French Zofingue ) is a small town, municipality and capital of the district of the same name in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland . It is located in the extreme southwest of the canton in the Wiggertal , on the border with the canton of Lucerne , and forms the southern focal point of a metropolitan area that extends over Oftringen and Aarburg and to Olten and Trimbach in the canton of Solothurn . The city is located near the intersection of the most important north-south and west-east traffic routes in Switzerland. With almost 12,000 inhabitants, Zofingen is the seventh largest municipality in the canton.

In ancient times , Zofingen was a settlement of the Celtic Helvetians , later the Romans built a manor. The Alemanni settled in the 6th century and formed one of the oldest parishes in Aargau. In the 11th century the Frohburger founded a canon monastery and in 1231 Zofingen was mentioned for the first time, which came into the possession of the Habsburgs in 1299 . In 1415 the Bernese conquered the city, in 1528 they introduced the Reformation . With the proclamation of the Helvetic Republic in 1798, the subordinate status ended. Zofingen has belonged to the canton of Aargau since 1803 and has developed into a regional center. The neighboring Mühlethal was incorporated in 2002.

geography

Urban structure and landscape

Zofingen in the Siegfried Atlas (1884)

The medieval old town is located on a slightly elevated terrace on the edge of the Wiggertal . To the east of it rise four hills separated by small valleys. From north to south these are the Bärenhubel, the Finkenherd, the Heitern and the Bergli. These protruding hills belong to an elongated, wide and strongly articulated range of hills that separates the Wiggertal from the adjacent Uerkental . Two valleys extend far to the east into the range of hills, the more than one kilometer long Riedtal on the Lucerne canton border and the almost three kilometer long Mühletal on the northern municipal border. In the latter is the formerly independent village of Mühlethal . The eastern two thirds of the municipality are (with a few exceptions) almost completely covered with forest .

A plain up to two kilometers wide extends west of the old town. The Altachenbach runs along the railway line. This flows at an average distance of 600 meters parallel to the Wigger, which forms the western city limits. The area west of the old town is densely populated and has an extensive industrial zone in the northern part. The built-up area has grown together with that of Oftringen and Strengelbach , with the Oftringer municipality area reaching up to about two hundred meters to the northern edge of the old town.

The area of ​​the urban area is 1108 hectares , of which 532 hectares are forested and 370 hectares are built over. The highest point is on the 661 meter high Rottannhubel on the eastern city limits, the lowest at 421 meters on the Wigger. Neighboring communities are Oftringen in the north, Safenwil in the northeast, Uerkheim and Bottenwil in the east, Brittnau in the southwest and Strengelbach in the west. In the south, Zofingen borders the municipality of Wikon in the canton of Lucerne .

climate

Zofingen is in the moderate climate zone . The climate is shaped on the one hand by winds from westerly directions, which often bring precipitation , and on the other hand by the bise (east or north-east wind), which is usually associated with high pressure, but causes cooler weather phases in all seasons than would be expected on average. The foehn , which is important in the Alpine valleys and on the edge of the Alps , normally shows little climatic impact on Zofingen.

The closest MeteoSwiss measuring stations are in Buchs and Wynau . They are 14 and 11 km away as the crow flies and provide almost the same values. This results in an annual mean temperature of 8.4 ° C for Zofingen . The coldest month is January with an average of −0.6 ° C, the warmest is July with 17.8 ° C. There are an average of 6.0 hot days above 30 ° C and 20.0 ice days below 0 ° C. The annual amount of precipitation is 1075 mm, with higher amounts being measured especially in the three summer months due to the convection than during the other seasons. The maximum is reached in June with 119 mm, the minimum in October with 70 mm.

history

Before the city was founded

The region around Zofingen remained ice-free during the Würm glacial period and was just outside the area in which the Reuss Glacier spread . The oldest traces of settlement date from the Neolithic Age . Stone found objects such as hatchets, ax blades and clubs came to light on the Bärenhubel, on Luzernerstrasse, west of the old town, on the border with Bottenwil and especially on the Heitern. Two ax blades from the Bronze Age and a lance tip from the Hallstatt Age suggest that the Celts were settled . However, there are no finds from the Latène period .

Protective structures over the mosaic floors of the Villa rustica von Zofingen (1830/31)

In the 2nd century BC The Helvetii settled there . A small settlement developed in the area of ​​the old town. This probably belonged to the 400 villages that Julius Caesar mentioned in De bello Gallico . The village was also inhabited during Roman rule, the Latin name has not been passed down. On the basis of repeated finds of Roman objects, humanistic scholars of the early modern period suspected that Zofingen went back to a town called Tobinium . In 1826 the remains of a manor came to light on the south-western slope of the Heitern . Exaggerated notions that the ruins were Tobinium's thermal baths soon gave way to more realistic assessments. The villa rustica von Zofingen (also called "Römerbad") was built in the second half of the 1st century AD and served to supply the legionary camp in Vindonissa (today Windisch ) with food . After numerous extensions, the mansion reached a length of 120 meters; The Zofinger Gutshof is thus the largest that has been discovered in the area of ​​the canton of Aargau.

The Alemanni broke through the Upper German-Rhaetian Limes in 259 and marched through the Central Plateau , plundering and destroying . The Roman troops had to retreat across the Alps and were only able to push back the invaders in 277. But even after that there were repeated attacks. The manor is believed to have been abandoned at the beginning of the 4th century. Between 401 and 406, the Romans finally withdrew across the Alps. A few decades later, the Alemanni began to settle the almost completely depopulated Central Plateau. The word ending "-ingen" suggests that the Zofingen settlement was created during the conquest in the 6th century. The place name is derived from the Old High German Zofingun , which means "among the people of Zofo".

An original parish was established in Zofingen around the year 600 , which soon developed into the religious center of the region. The first known parish church, a predecessor of today's Reformed town church, dates from this time . During excavations in 1979 and 1980, archaeologists came across two stone box graves of Alemannic aristocrats with golden gifts from the 7th century. The buried, a man and a woman, are probably the founders of the Church.

Frohburgers and Habsburgs

City Church

A fortified courtyard next to the church is considered to be the first ancestral seat of the Counts of Frohburg . In the 10th century they moved to the representative Frohburg near Trimbach and at the end of the 11th century converted the church into a canon monastery , which was consecrated to Saint Mauritius . A fortified market and administrative center developed on the trade route from Basel to Lucerne . The canon monastery was first mentioned in documents in 1201, and that of the city of Zofingen in 1231. It is not known when the town charter was granted . Archaeological excavations have proven the existence of two metal processing companies in the 12th century. The construction of the city wall falls between the middle of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century.

In the first half of the 13th century, Zofingen began minting its own coins , which were widespread in what is now northwestern Switzerland. The reason for this was the growing importance of the market organized by the Canon Monastery, which had its own dimensions and weights. Around the middle of the 13th century the decline of the Frohburger began, which was divided into three lines. In order to meet their financial obligations, they had to sell almost all of their property to King Rudolf I of the Habsburg family in 1274 . After a power struggle that lasted over ten years, the Habsburgs acquired the city of Zofingen, the actual home of the Frohburgers, in September 1299. In the Habsburg land register from 1305, Zofingen is listed as a Habsburg property, with special mention of the mint and the treasure trove .

In 1348 the plague claimed many victims in Zofingen. The Jews who were held responsible for spreading the epidemic were driven from the city. Under the Frohburgers, the city was separated from the Aarburg office and formed its own judicial district with lower and blood jurisdiction . Under Habsburg rule, the Zofingers gained more and more autonomy, especially economically, and they were also allowed to choose their officials themselves. At the end of January 1361, a fief day took place in Zofingen. All owners of a fiefdom in the Austrian foothills had to appear in person in the city at the behest of Duke Rudolf IV and have their fiefs confirmed. There were more than 900 people from Alsace , southern Germany, Thurgau and Aargau.

When the Guglers invaded in 1375, Zofingen got off relatively lightly compared to the regions further west. When the tension between Lucerne and the Habsburgs increased, Zofingen was loyal to the Habsburgs and fought by their side in the Battle of Sempach on July 9, 1386 . Twelve Zofingers fell, including Niklaus Thut . The old mayor is said to have swallowed the Zofingen banner shortly before his death and thus protected it from being seized by the Swiss . This legend originated in the 16th century, since then Niklaus Thut has been revered as a city hero and Zofingen has been referred to as "Thutstadt". In 1388 the Bernese besieged the city, but could not take it. It was not until six years later that the Habsburgs and the Swiss signed a peace treaty. In 1393 a fire raged in the lower town, and in 1396 another fire destroyed almost the entire town.

Rule of the Bernese

Part of the Niklaus-Thut-Platz with a fountain and the Neuhaus (center)

Duke Friedrich IV fell out of favor at the Council of Constance in 1415 after he had the antipope John XXIII. had helped escape. The German King Sigmund asked the Confederates to conquer Aargau in the name of the empire, whereupon Bern immediately sent troops. On April 18, 1415, the people of Zofingen let the Bernese march into the city without a fight, in return for their concession the existing rights were confirmed. The mint was last in operation in 1427, as its importance quickly declined under the rule of Bern. In 1433, Bern expressly confirmed the blood jurisdiction of Zofingen in its own urban area, King Friedrich III. did the same nine years later. In 1444, after the battle of St. Jakob an der Birs, peace negotiations between France , Savoy and the Swiss Confederation took place in Zofingen . The city was hit three times by large fires: 1423 and 1462 in the upper town, 1473 in the lower town; however, the destruction was nowhere near as severe as it was in 1396. Zofingen had the lower jurisdiction over Bottenwil , but sold it to Bern in 1496.

In 1528, Bern decided to introduce the Reformation and enforced this in all subject areas. All monasteries were dissolved and their property confiscated, including the Zofingen Canons' Monastery. Instead, a monastery conductor appointed by Bern now managed the extensive goods. For almost twenty years, the city sought in vain for a share of the foundation's assets (the income of the foundation was more than ten times greater than that of the city). The southern city boundary was also denominational boundary, because the neighboring Lucerne subject areas had remained Catholic. The residents of Zofingen often enjoyed themselves at festivals in the far less strict neighborhood; Anyone caught doing this faced severe penalties. Despite the religious division, the relationship with St. Urban Monastery remained good. The near- Pfaffnau located Cistercian abbey renewed regularly the Burgrecht with Zofingen and entertained in the city administration building.

Within the state of Bern, Zofingen had a special position as a «municipal city». It was not assigned to any bailiwick and had great autonomy. At the top were two elected mayors, who replaced each other annually (governing official school and standing old school). They were assisted by the twelve-member «Little Council», who took on the various administrative tasks. Among them was the “Great Council” with 40 members. Both councils together appointed 20 additional electors from the ranks of the largely disempowered citizenry. In total, only 72 people were eligible to vote. The Amtsschultheiss was the chairman of the city court, which was responsible for criminal and civil law, while the Altschultheiss was in charge of the choir court, which dealt with moral laws. The place of execution was on the Galgenberg, a hill on the Lucerne border.

Zofingen in 1715

A major plague epidemic struck Zofingen in 1552. At that time, more than 800 residents are said to have died, about half of the city's population at the time. Another 378 people died of the plague in 1611 and 1612, and another 70 in 1628. In the last major epidemic from 1667 to 1669, strict quarantine measures prevented high numbers of victims. After the Swiss Peasants' War of 1653, a court martial took place in Zofingen , in which several leaders of the rebels were sentenced to death . In the First Villmerger War of 1656, Zofingen served as a rallying point for the Bernese troops, but they were defeated near Villmergen . In the Second Villmerger War of 1712, Zofingen was again a deployment area, this time the city was on the side of the victors.

Four guilds had existed since the 15th century : the farmers 'guild, the butchers' guild, the rifle guild and the society for tailors. New professions joined one of these four guilds, as additional guilds were no longer permitted. They had no political influence, but were purely professional organizations. Trade and handicrafts flourished: Zofingen was known far and wide for the tin foundry, the bell foundry and the glass painters. The city's large forest holdings were an important economic factor. The Zofinger wood was very popular due to its high quality; Particularly tall fir trees were exported as far as Genoa , where shipbuilders used them to make masts.

In the 17th and early 18th centuries, the wooden houses in the old town were gradually replaced by baroque stone buildings, and wealthy townspeople had representative country houses built outside the town walls. Around 1640, Bern began to specifically promote the manufacture of textiles . Due to its proximity to important trade routes, Zofingen was particularly suitable for the settlement of manufacturers . At first the cloth weaving was predominant, from 1700 the production of linen and cotton cloth experienced an upswing, from 1720 the silk ribbon production . After 1780, pure production was supplemented by processing and trading due to increasing foreign competition.

Revolutionary years

In the second half of the 18th century, the ideas of the Enlightenment spread among the ruling class. However, the demands for equality and human rights after the beginning of the French Revolution found little attention in Zofingen. This is in complete contrast to Aarau , where the resistance to the old system of rule was particularly great. Zofingen still enjoyed a particularly extensive autonomy under Bernese rule and feared the loss of old privileges in the event of political upheaval . The other towns of Bern's Aargau escaped control of Bern in early 1798 and refused to send troops to protect against the approaching French . Zofingen, on the other hand, remained loyal to the "Gracious Lords" and at the end of February provided the municipal regiment that was deployed on March 5th in the battle of Neuenegg . But on the same day, Bern surrendered after the lost battle on Grauholz .

View from 1805

On April 12, 1798, Peter Ochs proclaimed the Helvetic Republic in Aarau . Against the will of the city government, Zofingen was added to the newly created canton of Aargau, which at that time only included the former subject areas of Bern. In the new central Helvetian state , the cantons were purely administrative units, which were further divided into districts and municipalities . Zofingen was put on an equal footing with the other municipalities and lost all privileges. Although all male residents were now eligible to vote, the majority of the newly elected 26-member municipal council remained who had already held political office in the Ancien Régime.

The city was the capital of the district of Zofingen, which corresponded to today's district east of the Wigger . The area to the west of it belonged to the canton of Bern . This was problematic in that the city had large forest areas there. This made it much more difficult to track down and punish illegal loggers. Not everyone wanted to make friends with the new circumstances. Followers of the old order tried several times to petition the Canton of Bern, but the occupying power did not tolerate this. When the French troops withdrew for a few months in 1802, the Bern faithful had the upper hand for a time and ignored the instructions from Aarau. The mediation act signed by Napoleon Bonaparte on March 19, 1803 put an end to all reunification dreams and Zofingen finally remained with the canton of Aargau. Several communities west of the Wigger were added to the Zofingen district.

Change in values ​​and industrialization

The Congress of Vienna confirmed that Zofingen would remain part of the canton of Aargau, but the previous privileges were permanently lost. The city council looked for ways to raise Zofingen above the status of an ordinary district capital. However, the proposal to hold the Swiss Federal Constitution here had no chance. Gradually, the city opened up to liberalism and served as a meeting place for liberal societies. Zofingia , the oldest still existing student association in Switzerland , was founded here in 1819 . Zofingen developed into a stronghold of liberal forces: the FDP remained the dominant political party until the 1960s , and until 2005 not a single representative from another party was elected mayor.

As a visible sign of the opening, the demolition of the medieval fortifications began in 1819. Until 1825 the trenches were filled in and the outer fortifications torn down. This measure made it possible to create a promenade . In 1837 the lower gate was removed, in 1845 the rifle gate and in 1846 the upper gate. Gradually the city wall was torn down in various places, in 1869 and 1872 the Hafnerturm and Hellmühleturm had to give way to wider entrances. But it was not until 1850 that the development began to expand significantly beyond the historic city center; first along the main roads in the plain, then increasingly along the hills to the east. The industry settled mainly on the Wigger.

The industrialization began to gain relatively late compared to other cities Aargau. The main reason was the low water power of the wiggers. In 1843 there was only one factory in Zofingen . Thanks to the increasing use of steam engines , the industry flourished from 1855 onwards. The following two decades are also known as the “Zofinger Gründerzeit ”. Numerous new companies emerged, especially in the textile industry . At the same time, the importance of agriculture and handicrafts decreased . Associated with this was the decline of the guilds, the last one dissolved in 1871. The guilds were replaced by the craftsmen and trade association founded in 1837, the first association of its kind in the canton of Aargau and one of the first in Switzerland. Manufacturers and merchants joined forces in 1855 in the trade and industry association, and Zofingen in Aargau also took on a pioneering role here.

Zofingen continued to strive to use the location's advantage near the crossroads of important trade routes and to play a larger political and institutional role. In 1835 the city applied unsuccessfully for the cantonal teachers' seminar. After the state was founded in 1848, Zofingen was discussed as a possible location for the federal court , but no official candidacy was made. In the election of the federal city , Zofingen received one vote. Another chance to gain prestige arose in 1851 when a national telegraph network was being planned. In fact, in 1852 Zofingen was accepted as the location of the main telegraph office, but it moved to Olten in 1857.

The train station in 1856

From 1852 the Swiss Central Railway (SCB) planned and built its main network. The Zofingen authorities actively campaigned for the city to become the junction of the north-south and east-west main lines. For the connection between Zurich and Bern, they suggested a route from Olten via Zofingen to Langenthal . But the SCB opted for the direct route along the Aare ; instead of Zofingen, Olten became the central hub . The Aarau – Olten – Zofingen – Emmenbrücke line was opened on June 9, 1856. The extensions to Basel and Lucerne followed in 1858 and 1859.

Two decades after the opening of the Basel – Lucerne railway line, there was still the possibility of becoming a railway junction. The Swiss National Railway (SNB) was planning a “Volksbahn” from Lake Constance to Lake Geneva to compete with the “Herrenbahnen” SCB and NOB . Zofingen took a 17.5 percent stake in the share capital, making it the largest shareholder. The Zofingen – Wettingen line went into operation on September 6, 1877. Another stage was planned from Zofingen via Langenthal and Utzenstorf to Lyss . But that never happened, as the SNB had to file for bankruptcy in February 1878. The city suffered from the financial consequences of the fiasco for decades, the last bond could not be paid off until December 1943.

The bankruptcy was due to two factors: a purely political line of business and the economic crisis known as the Great Depression , which lasted well into the 1880s. This hit the textile industry particularly hard and numerous traditional companies disappeared. The bankruptcy of J. Breitenstein & Cie. In 1884 was particularly serious. with a third of all industrial jobs. At the end of the 1880s there was a second «early days». The focus in the textile industry shifted from cloth manufacture to the finishing and clothing industry. At the same time, the chemical and graphic industries gained in importance.

Development into a regional center

Most companies initially benefited from the effects of the First World War because there was no foreign competition. Because of the high inflation, however, large parts of the population became impoverished. At the end of the war, one in five residents was dependent on emergency food aid and the emergency measures put a heavy burden on the community's finances. In November 1918, the industrial workers joined the state strike, whereupon the local council had soldiers guard important facilities. After a brief recession, the number of employees in industry increased again by over 50% by 1929, from 1500 to 2300. Half of this growth was due to the Ringier company . It started as a small book printing company in 1833 and became the largest employer in the city in the 1920s, and a few decades later it became the largest media group in Switzerland. By contrast, the textile industry, which offered around half of all industrial jobs, stagnated.

In 1930 a Catholic parish church was built, which means that after more than 400 years the Catholics once again had their own house of worship in Zofingen. The global economic crisis had comparatively little impact on industry, as the mechanical engineering industry, which was particularly hard hit, was hardly represented here. Nevertheless, the number of industrial jobs shrank by 15% and the bank founded in Zofingen in 1863 went bankrupt in 1933. The National Socialist front movement organized several events in Zofingen in the 1930s, but no local group was founded. Only from 1940 to 1942 did a group of the similarly oriented Federal Collection exist .

Aerial photograph, Werner Friedli (1955)

During the Second World War , Zofingen was affected by the usual measures such as blackout and rationing. As part of the cultivation slaughter , the agricultural area was expanded. There was an acute labor shortage because many industrial workers had to do military service. From September 1943 to August 1945 there was a sick camp in Zofingen for up to 180 interned soldiers from various European countries. After the end of the war, the importance of the machine and apparatus industry increased rapidly. Muller Martini , founded in 1947, rose to become the world's largest manufacturer of machines for postpress. In the mid-1960s, more than two thirds of all employees worked in industry.

Since the building land reserves were largely used up, the settlement area grew together with that of the neighboring communities of Oftringen and Strengelbach . In 1954/56 Hans Marti drew up the first building zone plan. The boom led to the planning of oversized construction projects, which were never implemented, including a four-lane expressway through the Wiggertal (in addition to the motorway under construction). In 1964, a planning office assumed a population of 29,200 "in maximum expansion". The canton administration tried to steer the seemingly unstoppable growth in the right direction. A polycentric city with the name Aarolfingen (Aarau – Olten – Zofingen) was planned, which should have 330,000 inhabitants. The economic crisis of the 1970s brought these big city dreams to an abrupt end. The population of Zofingen shrank slightly and the textile industry literally collapsed. Numerous companies were liquidated or changed into pure real estate companies. In the mid-1990s, the proportion of those employed in the textile industry was only five percent. The few remaining companies specialized in high quality niche products.

Mergers

On January 1, 2002, the neighboring Mühlethal was incorporated . The connection had already been sought in 1874, but Zofingen refused to accept this impoverished community. Further applications for incorporation failed in 1895, 1897, 1911, 1921 and 1937. In 1970 it was Mühlethal that refused a merger because taxes could be reduced noticeably. As a result, the population doubled, but the new residents were more oriented towards Zofingen. In the referendum of June 13, 1999, the merger was clearly accepted, with 2,669: 316 votes in Zofingen and with 333: 67 votes in Mühlethal.

In January 2008 the authorities of Zofingen and Uerkheim announced their intention to examine the feasibility of a municipal merger. The earliest desired date for the merger was January 1, 2014. On January 20, 2013, the project failed due to the negative attitude of the voters of both communities. A merger with Brittnau was also up for discussion . The Brittnau community assembly on February 22, 2012 refused any preliminary clarifications .

Cityscape and architecture

Old town

The powder tower
The torture tower and a section of the green belt that stretches around the city

The historic old town is one of the best preserved in Switzerland. It has the shape of an irregular rectangle with a length of 470 meters and a maximum width of 225 meters. In north-south direction it is crossed by the rear and the front main street, several narrow streets create cross connections. The old town got its current appearance in the 17th and early 18th centuries, when the medieval houses were gradually replaced by buildings in the Baroque style .

The central landmark is the Zofingen town church , which has Romanesque and late Gothic parts of the building. Archaeological excavations uncovered the remains of several previous buildings; the first foundation walls were built around the year 600. The oldest elements of the three-part nave date from the 12th century. Especially the choir with the crypt underneath has undergone several changes over the centuries. On the west side is the over 60 meter high church tower, built in 1649.

The circular walls from the early 14th century and the city gates were demolished in the first half of the 19th century, as were two towers. Only small sections of the city wall have been preserved, mostly as the outer wall of adjacent houses. On the southwest side directly opposite the train station is the torture tower (also known as the stretch tower), a semicircular square building with a crenellated wreath, which in earlier times served as a prison. The powder tower (or black tower), in which the gunpowder was stored, consists of a shell-lime base and sandstone blocks. Like the torture tower, it dates from around 1363–1365. The mint tower on the northeast side, built around 1447, is part of the mint, the former mint. The tower of the Stiftsschaffnerei , erected in 1595 and the administrative building of the canons' monastery built two centuries earlier, had no defensive function, but a decorative function .

St. Urbanhof

The central square in Zofingen is Niklaus-Thut -Platz east of the city church, named after the city hero. In his honor, the Zofingia student association donated the Niklaus-Thut-Brunnen in 1894. The fountain figure stands on a four-tube middle floor with a round column, surrounded by an octagonal trough. There are a total of 23 fountains in the old town. Various representative buildings line the square or are in the immediate vicinity, including the town hall (1795), the Helferei (1599), the Zunfthaus zu Metzgern (1603) and the market hall with a shawl and a cloth bower (1726).

The St. Urbanhof on Vorderen Hauptgasse, the oldest parts of which date from the 13th century, served as the fiefdom of the St. Urban Monastery for centuries . At the southern end of the same lane are the two office buildings (1849-1851), which were built in place of the Upper Gate. Not far from there is the Klösterli (1702), one of the most outstanding town houses in the city. The Hintere Hauptgasse is the location of the Latin School (1602) and the Sennenhof (1732). The town house on the same street was built in 1938 in place of the abandoned hospital barn, but it blends in well with the townscape. The second town house on Kirchplatz was built in 1930; the ground floor with the arcades had previously been part of the old hospital, which had been in this place since at least 1263.

Remaining city area

Heiternplatz May 2013

To the east of the old town, on General-Guisan-Strasse, there is a park-like zone with public buildings. It is dominated by the neo-renaissance- style community schoolhouse, one of the most monumental school buildings in Switzerland of the 19th century, built between 1873 and 1876 . It is flanked by the city museum (1899–1901), the old rifle house (1813–1822) and the abdication hall (1871–1872).

The so-called Heiternplatz is located on the top of the Heiternhügel. This is a 200 meter long and 150 meter wide leveled area, which is surrounded on all sides by linden trees. The Heiternplatz was leveled in 1745 and once served as a screening center . Today it serves as an ideal location for folk festivals and cultural events. It is often referred to as the “most beautiful festival place in Switzerland”. On July 13, 2011, the old trees with over 250-year-old linden trees were severely damaged by a storm.

Infirmary

Next to Heiternplatz are the «Deer Park» and the fruit variety garden. The former is a 3.5 hectare wildlife park opened in 1897 . The fruit variety garden is nine hectares in size with over 750 standard fruit trees on which almost 400 different types of fruit grow. The garden looked after by the ProSpecieRara foundation plays an important role in the continued existence of old and little-known types of fruit. The villa rustica of Zofingen once stood on the southwest slope of the Heitern ; Remains of this Roman manor that have been preserved particularly well are the mosaic floors, which were saved from decay by two neoclassical protective buildings in 1830/31.

1609 originated in the northwest, at that time located far outside the city walls, the infirmary , were treated in the people with infectious diseases. Far to the east on the border with Bottenwil rises the ruins of Bottenstein Castle, which was built in the 13th century on behalf of the family of ministers of the same name . The castle was abandoned in the middle of the 15th century and fell into ruin, today only the foundation walls are left.

coat of arms

The blazon of the city's coat of arms reads: "Divided three times by red and white." The Zofingen coat of arms in its current form dates from 1387 and corresponds to the town seal of that time. With the four cross bars (red, white, red, white) it has a certain resemblance to the Austrian coat of arms . This is a reminder of the Habsburgs who ruled the city from 1299 to 1415. The oldest colored representation of the Zofinger banner can be found in the Tschachtlan chronicle of Bernese councilor Benedikt Tschachtlan from 1470.

The seal of 1387 has two predecessors. The seal, introduced in 1278, shows an eagle , the heraldic animal of the Frohburgers , the city lords of that time. After the transition to the Habsburgs, a second seal was purchased in 1324. A lion (heraldic animal of the Habsburgs) and Saint Mauritius (Zofingen's patron saint at that time) are shown.

population

The population developed as follows (until 2000 without Mühlethal ) :

year 1764 1803 1850 1900 1930 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Residents 1,884 1,678 3,559 4,591 5,563 7,393 8,779 9,292 8,643 8,746 8,647 10,869

On December 31, 2019, 11,834 people lived in Zofingen, the proportion of foreigners was 19.7% and was thus below the cantonal average of 25.2%. According to the 2015 census , of the 2,132 residents with foreign citizenship at the time, 27.0% came from Germany , 16.7% from Italy , 8.5% from Portugal , 6.4% from Turkey , 5.4% from Kosovo , 3.8% from Serbia , 3.0% from Spain , 2.5% from Croatia , 2.3% from Bosnia and Herzegovina and 2.2% from Macedonia . In the 2000 census, 88.3% said German as their main language, 3.6% Italian , 1.5% Portuguese , 1.4% Serbo-Croatian , 0.9% French , 0.6% Spanish and 0 each, 5% English and Turkish .

In 1764, Bern carried out a census for the first time ; At that time Zofingen was the largest city in Aargau, in 1850 it was after all the second largest after Aarau . But despite continuous growth (with the exception of the 1970s), other communities have since overtaken Zofingen, as the building land reserves are limited to the flat, unforested third in the west. After the incorporation of Mühlethal, the population increased to over 10,000, and since then Zofingen has also been a town from a statistical point of view. In the 19th century, Zofingen was considered a Reformed stronghold, so the proportion of Catholics in 1850 was just under three percent. This proportion increased continuously after 1900 due to immigration from the rest of Switzerland and the Mediterranean countries and is now around a third. In the 2015 census, 33.5% described themselves as Reformed and 26.5% as Roman Catholic ; 40.0% were non-denominational or belonged to other faiths. The Association of Apostolic Christians has its first and largest Swiss church building in Ruhbank on the border with Oftringen.

Politics and law

The Political Municipality (called community of residents in the canton of Aargau) performs all municipal tasks that have not been declared to be the sphere of activity of another type of municipality (for example, the parishes of the regional churches ) by superordinate law .

legislative branch

8th
3
1
3
5
3
8th
9
8th 3 1 3 5 3 8th 9 
A total of 40 seats
  • SP : 8
  • GPS : 3
  • ft : 1
  • EVP : 3
  • glp : 5
  • DYM : 3rd
  • FDP : 8
  • SVP : 9

Instead of a usual in smaller communities Municipal Assembly represented the company since 1966, chosen by the voters Zofinger local parliament, the Einwohnerrat , the concerns of the population. It consists of 40 members who are each elected for four years by proportional representation. He is responsible for approving the tax rate , the budget, the annual accounts, the annual report and the loans. It also issues regulations, controls the conduct of office of the executive and decides on naturalizations . The residents' councils can submit parliamentary proposals ( motion , postulate , small questions ). The venue is the city hall.

The graphic on the right shows the composition of the residents' council after the election on September 24, 2017. In previous elections, the parties achieved the following number of seats:

Political party 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017
SVP 03 03 03 03 04th 06th 07th 05 08th 10 08th 10 10 9
FDP 15th 13 14th 13 13 13 12 12 13 12 11 09 09 8th
SP 13 11 09 09 10 09 07th 08th 10 12 12 11 09 8th
glp 04th 5
Dynamic Center (DYM) 1 06th 06th 06th 06th 03 3
EPP 03 03 05 06th 05 04th 04th 04th 03 03 03 3
GPS 3
color (ft) 01 1
JUSO & Alternative 02
CVP 02 02 02 03 03 03 02 02
LdU 01 02 02 02 02 01
Friends of the ER 04th
Free citizens 03
Active Zofingen 05 06th 04th
Läbig maid 03 03 05 04th 02
Car party 01 03
Young liberals 01 01

1 CVP and non-party, 2009 also glp , earlier also LdU and EPP

Various elements of direct democracy can also be found at the level of the resident community . The population is entitled to optional and compulsory referendums as well as the popular initiative .

executive

Zofingen town hall

The executing authority is the seven-member city ​​council . He is elected by the people for four years in a majority process . The city council leads and represents the local community. To this end, it implements the resolutions of the residents' council and the tasks assigned to it by the canton. The meetings take place in the town hall . As head of the executive practicing Stadtammann from its activities in full office, the other councilors in the next office.

The seven city councilors for the 2018–2021 term are:

  • Hans-Ruedi Hottiger (independent), Mayor
  • Hans-Martin Plüss ( SP ), Vice-Minister
  • Dominik Gresch ( glp )
  • Christiane Guyer ( Greens )
  • Andreas Rüegger ( FDP )
  • Peter Siegrist (independent)
  • Rahela Syed ( SP )

Judiciary

The District Court of Zofingen is primarily responsible for legal disputes . Zofingen is the seat of the Friedensrichterkreis XVI, which covers the eastern part of the district. In addition, since 2011 Zofingen has been the seat of the public prosecutor's office for the districts of Zofingen and Kulm .

National elections

In the Swiss parliamentary elections 2019, the share of the vote in Zofingen was: SVP 22.9%, SP 21.6%, FDP 15.6%, Greens 12.0%, glp 12.0%, CVP 5.5%, EVP 5, 3%, BDP 2.3%, EDU 1.0%.

Local citizen

The local citizens' community includes those residents who are citizens of Zofingen. Its main task is the management of the local citizens' property, the origin of which lies in the civil estates that were taken over from the time of the Ancien Régime. For example, the local community has a forest area of ​​over 14.5 km², which is distributed over eight communities in the cantons of Aargau and Lucerne; This makes it the second largest forest owner in Aargau after the canton. The management is carried out by its own forest office. The property of the local community also includes the Zunfthaus zu Ackerleuten, a tenant farm in Riedtal, the city library, the city archive and the city museum. The legislature is the local citizens' assembly, the executive is the city council of the municipality (which also includes non-local citizens).

economy

Headquarters of the Ringier Group

According to the corporate structure statistics (STATENT) collected in 2015, there are around 10,800 jobs in Zofingen, 1% of them in agriculture, 31% in industry and 68% in the service sector. Around a third of the jobs in the entire district are concentrated in the main town. Zofingen is not only the economic center of the southwestern Aargau, numerous communities in the northwest of the Canton of Lucerne are also part of the catchment area.

Several international corporations have their headquarters in Zofingen. Best known is the Ringier publishing house , the largest media group in Switzerland (including Blick , Schweizer Illustrierte , Tele , Glückspost , numerous holdings in Eastern Europe and Asia). Muller Martini is the world's largest manufacturer of systems for print finishing, it develops and produces plants and systems for the graphic industry worldwide. The Siegfried Holding is a major manufacturing company for pharmaceutical active ingredients. The fashion retail chain Tally Weijl had its headquarters in Zofingen from 1996 to 2006. In 2008, Swiss Post's PostFinance relocated one of its two data centers here.

In addition to these groups, there are around 700 small and medium-sized companies, with the textile industry specializing in high-quality niche products having an above-average share. These companies are grouped together in the Zofingen Trade and Industry Association. Despite falling yields, forestry still has a certain importance. Of national interest is the Bio Marché , the most important Swiss organic trade fair, which has been taking place in Zofingen in early summer since 2000 and attracts around 40,000 visitors from Switzerland and neighboring countries every year.

Transport and infrastructure

Rail and road transport

SBB train station

Zofingen has excellent transport connections. Two kilometers northwest of the city is the Wiggertal motorway triangle, where the A2 meets the A1 ; the two most important motorways in Switzerland. The motorway exit is in the immediate vicinity on the territory of the neighboring community of Oftringen . Zofingen is on Hauptstrasse 2 ( Olten - Lucerne ), another important traffic axis is the canton road 255, which branches off here, via Langenthal and Burgdorf to Bern .

The Zofingen train station of the SBB is located on the main transit axis Basel - Lucerne - Gotthard - Milan , several express and regional trains stop every hour. Since the opening of the new Mattstetten – Rothrist line on December 12, 2004, there have been direct express trains to Bern, without a detour via Olten . A further line leads from Zofingen Suhr to Lenzburg .

From the train station there are bus routes to Aarburg , Brittnau , Murgenthal , Richenthal , St. Urban , Schöftland and Vordemwald . These are operated by Limmat Bus , a subsidiary of the Aargau Verkehr transport company . On weekends there is a night bus from Olten via Zofingen and Brittnau to Vordemwald.

care

The municipal works of Zofingen (StWZ, until 1953 light and water works Zofingen ) supply the city with electricity, natural gas and drinking water. The holding consists of the parent company StWZ Energie AG and three subsidiaries, the sole shareholder is the municipality. The StWZ was created in 1916 through the merger of the Zofingen private electricity company with the municipal water and gas works.

For centuries, the Stadtbach supplied the Zofingen businesses with process water, while a network of wooden pipes led drinking water from springs in the Banwald to the wells in the city. In 1887 the construction of a modern high pressure water supply began and in 1890 a reservoir on the Brunnhübel was put into operation. The growing population made it necessary to raise the reservoir in 1933 and, five years later, to tap an additional groundwater stream . From 1890 onwards, in addition to water consumption, the volume of wastewater also increased significantly and various house owners laid sewer pipes on their own initiative. After years of debate, a public sewer system was built between 1920 and 1941 . A municipal sewage treatment plant existed on the Wigger from 1931 . This was replaced in 1968 by a regional sewage treatment plant in Oftringen. The first proposals for building a town gas network had already been made in 1856, but the project came to nothing. In 1872 another attempt was made and in 1876 the municipal gas works could be opened. In 1896 it received competition from the introduction of electricity. The electricity came from the nearby Ruppoldingen run-of-river power station on the Aare. After connecting to the Mittelland gas network , the gasworks was shut down in 1968.

education

Zofingen is the most important educational location in south-western Aargau, so that most children and young people are able to complete their entire school days here until they acquire university entrance qualifications. The five-person school administration elected by the people is responsible for the proper fulfillment of all tasks of the elementary school and is primarily active on a strategic level. For operational tasks, she employs a school management who takes on pedagogical, personnel and administrative management within the scope of the competencies assigned to her.

Community schoolhouse

In Zofingen there are six kindergartens with nine departments, plus four school buildings. All levels of compulsory elementary school are taught, consisting of primary school up to the 6th school year and - depending on ability - the Realschule , the secondary school and the district school up to the 9th school year. The largest school building is the centrally located community school building with almost half of all students (primary, secondary and secondary school). The district school is housed in its own building next to the community schoolhouse , and a small primary school is run in Mühlethal . The Zofingen Education Center (BZZ) is located southwest of the train station . The canton of Aargau runs the canton school , the college of education of the Northwestern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (training primary teachers) and two vocational schools , while the city of Zofingen is represented by another primary school and a special needs school for curative education .

In 1270 a school master (scolusticus) was first mentioned in a document, who was in charge of the Latin school run by the Canon Monastery . With the secularization of the monastery, the right to elect a school lord passed to Bern in 1528, and school attendance mainly served as preparation for the Bern Academy. An additional German school, the predecessor of today's elementary school, is first recorded for the middle of the 15th century. In the second half of the 18th century, an adaptation of the school material in the sense of the Enlightenment - in contrast to Aarau for example - was initially largely absent. Christian Heinrich Zeller finally carried out a comprehensive school reform from 1808 to 1819. In 1835 the district school was founded. The Zofingen community school was built between 1874 and 1877. It was so generously dimensioned that the last available classroom was not occupied until six decades later. In 1958 the district school moved into its own building, followed by the opening of the education center in 1977.

Culture

Old rifle house

The beginnings of the city library go back to 1693. With over 100,000 works, it is now the second largest library in Aargau after the canton library in Aarau . Since 1974 she has been domiciled in the former Latin school. The city museum, which opened in 1901, was donated by the textile industrialist Gustav Straehl and the pharmacist Hermann Fischer-Siegwart. They provided 150,000 francs (around 6 million in today's value) for the construction of a museum and their private collections. The museum was gradually expanded through further donations. The historical department deals with the city's history as well as with the development of the printing industry and the history of the Zofingia . In the natural history department there is an extensive natural history collection .

The Alte Schützenhaus houses the Zofingen art house and private collections. It specializes primarily in fine arts and modern painting, with works by artists from the region being preferred. Every year in August, an art market is held in the old town where artists from all over Switzerland exhibit and sell their works. Theatrical performances and classical concerts take place regularly in the city hall, and literary lectures are also held in the “Small Stage”. The cultural association «OX. Kultur im Ochsen »organizes concerts of various styles and promotes the regional rock and rap scene. Until 2015, the cultural association was housed in the hall of the “Genossenschaft Ochsen”, and since then on Obere Brühlstrasse.

The Zofingen Cadet Corps with the captured free troop flag during the Zofingen Children's Festival

In 1991 the Heiter Open Air took place on Heiternplatz for the first time with well-known pop and rock bands from home and abroad, which has developed into a major event with 35,000 visitors. A “Classic Open Air” is also held at irregular intervals: various opera stars such as Plácido Domingo and Montserrat Caballé have already performed in Zofingen. The “Kulturverein Hirzenberg” has been organizing regular classical concerts with internationally renowned artists in Haus Hirzenberg since 2003. For example, the Casal Quartet , Thomas Demenga and Carolin Widmann performed at the Hirzenberg Festival . Incidentally, the Zofingen Literature Days have been taking place since 2006 : These are always held after the Frankfurt Book Fair , and a few authors from the respective host country travel from the Main to Zofingen.

The highlight of the festival calendar is the Zofing Children's Festival on the first Friday in July. It includes a parade of the school youth through the city, the maneuver of the cadet corps and a banquet. The children's party is complemented by the “New Orleans meets Zofingen” event on the previous Monday with various concerts from the fields of jazz and blues .

Every year on December 4th, the Chlauseinzug takes place, when several Santa Lice move into the old town. They are accompanied by their Schmutzli , a Trychler group , Geisslechlepfern and school children with lanterns. The children are given presents on the church square.

Sports

Numerous national and international competitions have already taken place on the “Trinermatten” athletics facility, including several Swiss championships. The swimming pool and the climbing wall in the multi-purpose hall are also very popular . Team sports are rather underrepresented in Zofingen. Well-known exceptions are TV Zofingen , which plays in the National League B and became Swiss champions in 1978 and 1983, and SC Zofingen in the first division of the football championship. Zofingen has been the venue for the Powerman Zofingen since 1989 , the official duathlon world championship over the long distance that takes place every September .

Personalities

The following people were born in Zofingen or have a connection with the city (list sorted by year of birth).

Niklaus-Thut-Brunnen in the old town of Zofingen

Derived names

literature

  • Christian Lüthi: Zofingen. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  • August Bickel: Zofingen from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages . Verlag Sauerländer, Aarau 1992, ISBN 3-906419-09-6 (History of the Zofingen area from the first traces of settlement to the founding of the city).
  • Christian Hesse: St. Mauritius in Zofingen . Verlag Sauerländer, Aarau 1993, ISBN 3-7941-3602-0 (constitutional and socio-historical aspects of a medieval canon monastery).
  • Edith Hunziker, Bruno Meier , Annemarie Roth, Dominik Sauerländer: Zofingen from the Middle Ages to 1798 - a self-confident country town under Habsburg and Bern . here + now, Baden 2004, ISBN 3-906419-83-5 (detailed city history from the city's foundation to the end of the Bernese rule, with numerous illustrations).
  • Christian Lüthi, Manuela Ros, Annemarie Roth, Andreas Steigmeier : Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries - a small town is looking for its role . hier + now, Baden 1999, ISBN 3-906419-02-9 (detailed city history of Zofingen as Aargau district capital, with numerous illustrations, plans and statistics).
  • Michael Stettler : The art monuments of the canton of Aargau . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History . Volume I, districts of Aarau, Kulm, Zofingen. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1948.
  • Franz Oswald, Peter Baccini : Netzstadt - Introduction to urban design . Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 2003, ISBN 3-7643-6962-0 (urban development theory, explanation of the Netzstadt using the example of the “Stadt an der Wigger”, consisting of Aarburg, Oftringen, Rothrist, Strengelbach and Zofingen).
  • Hans Maurer: Zofingen. (Swiss Art Guide, No. 376). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1985, ISBN 978-3-85792-376-0 .

Web links

Commons : Zofingen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Zofingen in the Topographia Helvetiae, Rhaetiae et Valesiae (Matthäus Merian)  - sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cantonal population statistics 2019. Department of Finance and Resources, Statistics Aargau, March 30, 2020, accessed on April 2, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Cantonal population statistics 2019. Department of Finance and Resources, Statistics Aargau, March 30, 2020, accessed on April 2, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b Beat Zehnder: The community names of the canton of Aargau . In: Historical Society of the Canton of Aargau (Ed.): Argovia . tape 100 . Verlag Sauerländer, Aarau 1991, ISBN 3-7941-3122-3 , p. 488-489 .
  4. ↑ a b National map of Switzerland, sheet 1109, Swisstopo.
  5. ↑ Standard area statistics - municipalities according to 4 main areas. Federal Statistical Office , November 26, 2018, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Norm value tables 1961–1990. MeteoSwiss, archived from the original on April 19, 2009 ; Retrieved April 22, 2012 .
  7. ^ Bickel: Zofingen from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Pp. 18-23.
  8. ^ Bickel: Zofingen from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Pp. 43-50.
  9. ↑ a b Martin Hartmann, Hans Weber: The Romans in Aargau . Verlag Sauerländer, Aarau 1985, ISBN 3-7941-2539-8 , p. 213-214 .
  10. ^ Hartmann, Weber: The Romans in Aargau. Pp. 17-18.
  11. ^ Bickel: Zofingen from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Pp. 162-164.
  12. ^ Bickel: Zofingen from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Pp. 237-238.
  13. ^ Bickel: Zofingen from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Pp. 256-258.
  14. ↑ Hunziker et al .: Zofingen from the Middle Ages to 1798. pp. 51–52.
  15. ^ Hunziker et al .: Zofingen from the Middle Ages to 1798. pp. 59–62.
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  31. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 36-39.
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  34. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 87-89, 103-105.
  35. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 15-19.
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  39. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 99, 166.
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  42. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 176-182.
  43. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 182, 185-190.
  44. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 225-230.
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  52. ↑ What takes a long time is finally good ... City of Zofingen, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  53. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 269-273.
  54. ↑ Those entitled to vote reject the merger of Zofingen and Uerkheim. City of Zofingen, archived from the original on May 29, 2019 ; accessed on May 1, 2016 .
  55. ↑ The merger of Brittnau and Zofingen will probably not work. Aargauer Zeitung , February 23, 2012, accessed on April 22, 2012 .
  56. ↑ Stettler: The Art Monuments of the Canton of Aargau - Volume I. P. 309–311.
  57. ^ Stettler: The Art Monuments of the Canton of Aargau - Volume I. P. 322–339.
  58. ^ Stettler: The Art Monuments of the Canton of Aargau - Volume I. P. 318-319.
  59. ^ Stettler: The Art Monuments of the Canton of Aargau - Volume I. P. 361–362.
  60. ^ Stettler: The Art Monuments of the Canton of Aargau - Volume I. P. 319.
  61. ^ Fire Brigade Commander Ruch: "I've never seen so much calamity". Aargauer Zeitung , July 13, 2011, accessed on May 1, 2016 .
  62. ↑ Downburst Central Plateau. Storm Archive Switzerland, August 24, 2015, accessed on January 2, 2019 .
  63. ↑ Zofingen fruit variety garden. ProSpecieRara , 2019, accessed May 29, 2019 .
  64. ^ Joseph Galliker, Marcel Giger: Municipal coat of arms of the Canton of Aargau . Lehrmittelverlag des Kantons Aargau, book 2004, ISBN 3-906738-07-8 , p. 327 .
  65. ^ Bickel: Zofingen from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Pp. 299-300.
  66. ↑ Population development in the municipalities of the Canton of Aargau since 1850. (Excel) In: Eidg. Volkszählung 2000. Statistics Aargau, 2001, archived from the original on October 8, 2018 ; accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  67. ↑ Foreign nationals by country of origin, 2015. (Excel) In: Population and Households, Municipal Tables 2015. Statistics Aargau, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  68. ↑ Swiss Federal Census 2000: Economic resident population by main language as well as by districts and municipalities. (Excel) Statistics Aargau, archived from the original on August 10, 2018 ; accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  69. ↑ Resident population by religious affiliation, 2015. (Excel) In: Population and Households, Community Tables 2015. Statistics Aargau, accessed on May 19, 2019 .
  70. ^ Zofingen residents' council, distribution of seats since 1966. City of Zofingen, archived from the original on March 6, 2016 ; Retrieved February 23, 2012 .
  71. ^ Resident council elections for the city of Zofingen for the 2014–2017 term of office. (PDF; 17 kB) City of Zofingen, September 22, 2013, archived from the original on September 26, 2017 ; Retrieved September 24, 2013 .
  72. ↑ Minutes of the general renewal elections of the residents' council 2018/2021. (PDF; 1.0 MB) City of Zofingen, September 24, 2017, accessed on September 26, 2017 .
  73. ↑ circles of justice of the peace. Canton of Aargau, accessed on June 21, 2019 .
  74. ^ Zofingen-Kulm public prosecutor's office. Department of Economics and Home Affairs of the Canton of Aargau, accessed on June 21, 2019 .
  75. ^ Federal Statistical Office : NR - Results parties (municipalities) (INT1). In: Federal Elections 2019 | opendata.swiss. August 8, 2019, accessed August 1, 2020 .
  76. ↑ Results of the National Council elections 2019 - Canton Aargau. Retrieved August 2, 2020 .
  77. ↑ Annual report 2017 (PDF, 173 KB) Zofingen local citizen community, 2018, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  78. ↑ Statistics of the corporate structure (STATENT). (Excel, 157 kB) Statistics Aargau, 2016, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  79. ↑ Bio Marché - the largest Swiss organic fair
  80. ^ History. StWZ Energie, 2019, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
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  82. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 208-209.
  83. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 211-219.
  84. ↑ a b Brief portrait of the school and kindergarten in Zofingen. City of Zofingen, archived from the original on April 24, 2017 ; accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  85. ^ Zofingen Education Center. City of Zofingen, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  86. ^ Bickel: Zofingen from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Pp. 365-378.
  87. ↑ Hunziker et al .: Zofingen from the Middle Ages to 1798. pp. 325–329.
  88. ^ Lüthi et al .: Zofingen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pp. 161-169.
  89. ^ Zofingen City Library - from 1693 until today. City of Zofingen, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  90. ^ History. Zofingen City Museum, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  91. ↑ Kunsthaus Zofingen
  92. ↑ OX. Culture
  93. ↑ Cheerful open air
  94. ↑ Hirzenberg Cultural Association
  95. ↑ Children's party and tattoo. City of Zofingen, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  96. ^ New Orleans meets Zofingen. City of Zofingen, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
  97. ^ Entry of St. Nikolaus into the city of Zofingen. Kolping family Zofingen, archived from the original on February 15, 2015 ; Retrieved April 22, 2012 .
  98. ^ TV Zofingen
  99. ^ SC Zofingen
  100. ^ Powerman Zofingen
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on May 30, 2005 in this version .