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Aargau

Coordinates:47°5′N8°0′E/ 47.083°N 8.000°E/47.083; 8.000
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Canton of Aargau
Kanton Aargau(German)
Canton
Flag of Canton of Aargau
Flag
Coat of arms of Canton of Aargau
Coat of arms
Official logo of Canton of Aargau
Brandmark
Map
Location in Switzerland
Map of Aargau

Coordinates:47°5′N8°0′E/ 47.083°N 8.000°E/47.083; 8.000
CountrySwitzerland
Capital and largest cityAarau
Subdivisions198 municipalities,11 districts
Government
•ExecutiveExecutive Council (5)
•LegislativeGrand Council(140)
Area
[1]
• Total1,403.76 km2(541.99 sq mi)
Population
(December 2020)[2]
• Total694,072
• Density490/km2(1,300/sq mi)
GDP
[3]
• TotalCHF43.590 billion (2020)
• Per capitaCHF 63,177 (2020)
ISO 3166 codeCH-AG
Highest point908 m (2,979 ft):Geissfluegrat
Lowest point260 m (853 ft):RhineatKaiseraugst
Joined1803
LanguagesGerman
Websitewww.ag.ch

Aargau(/ˈɑːrɡaʊ/AR-gow,German:[ˈaːrɡaʊ]ⓘ), more formally[4]theCanton of Aargau(German:Kanton Aargau;Romansh:Chantun Argovia;French:Canton d'Argovie;Italian:Canton Argovia), is one of the26 cantonsforming theSwiss Confederation.It is composed of eleven districts and its capital isAarau.

Aargau is one of the most northerly cantons of Switzerland. It is situated by the lower course of theAareRiver, which is why the canton is calledAar-gau(meaning "Aare province" ). It is one of the most densely populated regions of Switzerland.[5]

History

[edit]
Main article:History of the Canton of Aargau

Early history

[edit]
Further information:Early history of Switzerland

The area of Aargau and the surrounding areas were controlled by theHelvetians,a tribe ofCelts,as far back as 200 BC.[6]It was eventually occupied by theRomansand then by the 6th century, theFranks.[7]The Romans built a major settlement calledVindonissa,near the present location ofBrugg.[6]

Medieval Aargau

[edit]
See also:List of castles and fortresses in Switzerland § Aargau,andMedieval Switzerland
Aarau

The reconstructed Old High German name of Aargau isArgowe,first unambiguously attested (in the spellingArgue) in 795. The term described a territory only loosely equivalent to that of the modern canton, including the region between Aare andReussrivers, includingPilatusandNapf,i.e. including parts of the modern cantons of Bern (Bernese Aargau,Emmental,parts of theBernese Oberland),Solothurn,Basel-Landschaft,Lucerne,ObwaldenandNidwalden,but not the parts of the modern canton east of the Reuss (Baden District), which were part ofZürichgau.

Within theFrankish Empire(8th to 10th centuries), the area was a disputed border region between the duchies ofAlamanniaandBurgundy.A line of the vonWetterau(Conradines) intermittently held the countship of Aargau from 750 until about 1030, when they lost it (having in the meantime taken the namevonTegerfelden). This division became the ill-defined (and sparsely settled) outer border of the earlyHoly Roman Empireat its formation in the second half of the 10th century. Most of the region came under the control of the ducalhouse of Zähringenand the comital houses ofHabsburgandKyburgby about 1200.

In the second half of the 13th century, the territory became divided between the territories claimed by theimperial citiesofBern,LucerneandSolothurnand the Swiss canton ofUnterwalden.The remaining portion, largely corresponding to the modern canton of Aargau, remained under the control of the Habsburgs until the "conquest of Aargau" by theOld Swiss Confederacyin 1415.[8]Habsburg Castleitself, the original seat of the House of Habsburg, was taken by Bern in April 1415.[9]The Habsburgs had founded a number of monasteries (with some structures enduring, e.g., inWettingenandMuri), 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.

Under the Swiss Confederation

[edit]
Switzerland in 1416, showing the part of the Aargau under Bernese control, the county of Baden and the Freie Ämter.

WhenFrederick IV of Habsburgsided withAntipope John XXIIIat theCouncil of Constance,EmperorSigismundplaced him under theImperial ban.[nb 1]In July 1414, the Pope visitedBernand received assurances from them, that they would move against the Habsburgs.[10]A few months later theSwiss Confederationdenounced theTreaty of 1412.Shortly thereafter in 1415,Bernand the rest of the Swiss Confederation used the ban as a pretext to invade the Aargau. The Confederation was able to quickly conquer the towns of Aarau, Lenzburg, Brugg and Zofingen along with most of the Habsburg castles.Bernkept the southwest portion (Zofingen,Aarburg,Aarau,Lenzburg,andBrugg), northward to the confluence of theAareandReuss.[10]The important city ofBadenwas taken by a united Swiss army and governed by all 8 members of the Confederation.[10]Some districts, named theFreie Ämter(free bailiwicks) –Mellingen,Muri,Villmergen,andBremgarten,with thecountship of Baden– were governed as "subject lands" by all or some of the Confederates. Shortly after the conquest of the Aargau by the Swiss,Frederickhumbled himself to the Pope. The Pope reconciled with him and ordered all of the taken lands to be returned. The Swiss refused and years later after no serious attempts at re-acquisition, the Duke officially relinquished rights to the Swiss.[11]

Unteraargau or Berner Aargau

[edit]
Districts in Bernese controlled Unteraargau

Bern's portion of the Aargau came to be known as theUnteraargau,though can also be called the Berner or Bernese Aargau. In 1514 Bern expanded north into theJuraand so came into possession of several strategically important mountain passes into the AustrianFricktal.This land was added to the Unteraargau and was directly ruled from Bern. It was divided into seven ruralbailiwicksand four administrative cities, Aarau, Zofingen, Lenzburg and Brugg. While the Habsburgs were driven out, many of their minor nobles were allowed to keep their lands and offices, though over time they lost power to the Bernese government. The bailiwick administration was based on a very small staff of officials, mostly made up of Bernese citizens, but with a few locals.[12]

When Bern converted during theProtestant Reformationin 1528, the Unteraargau also converted. At the beginning of the 16th century a number ofanabaptistsmigrated into the upper Wynen and Rueder valleys fromZürich.Despite pressure from the Bernese authorities in the 16th and 17th centuries anabaptism never entirely disappeared from the Unteraargau.[12]

Bern used the Aargau bailiwicks mostly as a source of grain for the rest of the city-state. The administrative cities remained economically only of regional importance. However, in the 17th and 18th centuries Bern encouraged industrial development in Unteraargau and by the late 18th century it was the most industrialized region in the city-state. The high industrialization led to high population growth in the 18th century, for example between 1764 and 1798, the population grew by 35%, far more than in other parts of the canton. In 1870 the proportion of farmers in Aarau, Lenzburg, Kulm, and Zofingen districts was 34–40%, while in the other districts it was 46–57%.[12]

Freie Ämter

[edit]
Map of the Freie Ämter, including the 1712 line dividing the Upper and Lower Freie Ämter

The rest of theFreie Ämterwere collectively administered as subject territories by the rest of the Confederation. MuriAmtwas assigned to Zürich, Lucerne,Schwyz,Unterwalden,ZugandGlarus,while theÄmterof Meienberg, Richensee andVillmergenwere first given to Lucerne alone. The final boundary was set in 1425 by an arbitration tribunal and Lucerne had to give the threeÄmterto be collectively ruled.[13]The fourÄmterwere then consolidated under a single Confederationbailiffinto what was known in the 15th century as theWaggentalBailiwick (German:Vogteiim Waggental). In the 16th century, it came to be known as theVogtei der Freien Ämter.While theFreien Ämteroften had independent lower courts, they were forced to accept the Confederation's sovereignty. Finally, in 1532, the canton of Uri became part of the collective administration of the Freien Ämter.[14]

At the time of the Protestant Reformation, the majority of the Ämter converted to the new faith. In 1529, a wave oficonoclasmswept through the area and wiped away much of the old religion. After the defeat of Zürich in the secondBattle of Kappelin 1531, the victorious five Catholic cantons marched their troops into the Freie Ämter and reconverted them to Catholicism.[13]

In theFirst War of Villmergen,in 1656, and theToggenburg War(or Second War of Villmergen), in 1712, the Freie Ämter became the staging ground for the warring Reformed and Catholic armies. While the peace after the 1656 war did not change the status quo, the fourth Peace of Aarau in 1712 brought about a reorganization of power relations. The victory gave Zürich the opportunity to force the Catholic cantons out of the government in thecounty of Badenand the adjacent area of the Freie Ämter. The Freie Ämter were then divided in two by a line drawn from the gallows inFahrwangento theOberlunkhofenchurch steeple. The northern part, the so-called Unteren Freie Ämter (lower Freie Ämter), which included the districts of Boswil (in part) and Hermetschwil and the Niederamt, were ruled by Zürich, Bern and Glarus. The southern part, the Oberen Freie Ämter (upper Freie Ämter), were ruled by the previous seven cantons but Bern was added to make an eighth.[13]

During theHelvetic Republic(1798–1803), the county of Baden, the Freie Ämter and the area known as theKelleramtwere combined into thecanton of Baden.

County of Baden

[edit]
County of Baden

TheCounty of Badenwas a sharedcondominiumof the entireOld Swiss Confederacy.After the Confederacy conquest in 1415, they retained much of the Habsburg legal structure, which caused a number of problems. The local nobility had the right to hold thelow courtin only about one fifth of the territory. There were over 30 different nobles who had the right to hold courts scattered around the surrounding lands. All these overlapping jurisdictions caused numerous conflicts, but gradually the Confederation was able to acquire these rights in the county. The cities of Baden,BremgartenandMellingenbecame the administrative centers and held the high courts. Together with the courts, the three administrative centers had considerable local autonomy, but were ruled by a governor who was appointed by theAcht Orteevery two years. After theProtestantvictory at theSecond Battle of Villmergen,the administration of the County changed slightly. Instead of theAcht Orteappointing a bailiff together, Zürich and Bern each appointed the governor for 7 out of 16 years whileGlarusappointed him for the remaining two years.[15]

The chaotic legal structure and fragmented land ownership combined with a tradition of dividing the land among all the heirs in an inheritance prevented any large scale reforms. The governor tried in the 18th century to reform and standardize laws and ownership across the county, but with limited success. With an ever-changing administration, the County lacked a coherent long-term economic policy or support for reforms. By the end of the 18th century there were no factories or mills and only a few smallcottage industriesalong the border with Zürich. Road construction first became a priority after 1750, when Zürich and Bern began appointing a governor for seven years.[15]

During the Protestant Reformation, some of the municipalities converted to the new faith. However, starting in 1531, some of the old parishes wereconverted back to the old faith.The governors were appointed from both Catholic and Protestant cantons and since they changed every two years, neither faith gained a majority in the county.[15]

After the French invasion, on 19 March 1798, the governments of Zürich and Bern agreed to the creation of the short livedcanton of Badenin theHelvetic Republic.With theAct of Mediationin 1803, the canton of Baden was dissolved. Portions of the lands of the former County of Baden now became the District of Baden in the newly created canton of Aargau. After World War II, this formerly agrarian region saw striking growth and became the district with the largest and densest population in the canton (110,000 in 1990, 715 persons per km2).[15]

Forming the canton of Aargau

[edit]
Helvetic Republicc. 1798/99, with the newly created cantons of Aargau and Baden
Swiss Confederation following the 1803 Act of Mediation, with the modern canton of Aargau formed

The contemporary canton of Aargau was formed in 1803, a canton of theSwiss Confederationas a result of theAct of Mediation.It was a combination of three short-lived cantons of theHelvetic Republic:Aargau (1798–1803), Baden (1798–1803) and Fricktal (1802–1803). Its creation is therefore rooted in theNapoleonic era.In the year 2003, the canton of Aargau celebrated its 200th anniversary.

French forces occupied the Aargau from 10 March to 18 April 1798; thereafter the Bernese portion became the canton of Aargau and the remainder formed thecanton of Baden.Aborted plans to merge the two halves came in 1801 and 1802, and they were eventually united under the name Aargau,[5][16]which was then admitted as a full member of the reconstituted Confederation following the Act of Mediation. Some parts of the canton of Baden at this point were transferred to other cantons: theAmtofHitzkirchto Lucerne, whilstHüttikon,Oetwil an der Limmat,DietikonandSchlierenwent to Zürich. In return, Lucerne'sAmtofMerenschwandwas transferred to Aargau (district of Muri).

TheFricktal,ceded in 1802 byAustriavia Napoleonic France to the Helvetic Republic, was briefly a separate canton of the Helvetic Republic (thecanton of Fricktal) under aStatthalter('Lieutenant'), but on 19 March 1803 (following the Act of Mediation) was incorporated into the canton of Aargau.

The former cantons of Baden and Fricktal can still be identified with the contemporarydistricts– thecanton of Badenis covered by the districts of Zurzach, Baden, Bremgarten, and Muri (albeit with the gains and losses of 1803 detailed above); thecanton of Fricktalby the districts of Rheinfelden and Laufenburg (except forHottwilwhich was transferred to that district in 2010).

Chief magistracy

[edit]

The chief magistracy of Aargau changed its style repeatedly:

  • first two consecutiveRegierungsstatthalter:
    • April 1798 – November 1801 Jakob Emmanuel Feer (1754–1833)
    • 1802–1803 Johann Heinrich Rothpletz (1766–1833)
  • Presidents of the Government Commission
    • 10 March 1803 – 26 April 1803 Johann Rudolf Dolder (1753–1807)
    • 26 April 1803 – 1815 a 'Small Council' (president rotating monthly)
  • annualAmtsbürgermeister1815–1831
  • annualLandammännersince 1815

Jewish history in Aargau

[edit]
Two separate doors (one for Jews and one for Christians) on a house in Lengnau
18th century etching of the synagogue in Lengnau. In theJewish Museum of Switzerland’s collection.

In the 17th century, Aargau was the only federal condominium where Jews were tolerated. In 1774, they were restricted to just two towns,EndingenandLengnau.While the rural upper class pressed incessantly for the expulsion the Jews, the financial interests of the authorities prevented it. They imposed special taxes on peddling and cattle trading, the primary Jewish professions. The Protestant occupiers also enjoyed the discomfort of the local Catholics by the presence of the Jewish community.[17]The Jews were directly subordinate to the governor; from 1696, they were compelled to renew a letter of protection from him every 16 years.[15]

During this period, Jews and Christians were not allowed to live under the same roof, neither were Jews allowed to own land or houses. They were taxed at a much higher rate than others and, in 1712, the Lengnau community was "pillaged."[18]In 1760, they were further restricted regarding marriages and procreation. An exorbitant tax was levied on marriage licenses; oftentimes, they were outright refused.[17]This remained the case until the 19th century. In 1799, theHelvetic republicabolished all special tolls, and, in 1802, removed the poll tax.[18]On 5 May 1809, they were declared citizens and given broad rights regarding trade and farming. They were still restricted to Endingen and Lengnau until 7 May 1846, when their right to move and reside freely within the canton of Aargau was granted. On 24 September 1856, theSwiss Federal Councilgranted them full political rights within Aargau, as well as broad business rights; however the majority Christian population did not fully abide by these new liberal laws. The time of 1860 saw the canton government voting to grant suffrage in all local rights and to give their communities autonomy. Before the law was enacted, it was however repealed due to vocal opposition led by theUltramonte Party.[18]Finally, the federal authorities in July 1863, granted all Jews full rights of citizens. However, they did not receive all of the rights in Endingen and Lengnau until a resolution of theGrand Council,on 15 May 1877, granted citizens' rights to the members of the Jewish communities of those places, giving them charters under the names of New Endingen and New Lengnau.[18]TheSwiss Jewish Kulturvereinwas instrumental in this fight from its founding in 1862 until it was dissolved 20 years later.[18]During this period of diminished rights, they were not even allowed to bury their dead in Swiss soil and had to bury their dead on an island calledJudenäule(Jews' Isle) on theRhinenearWaldshut.[18]Beginning in 1603, the deceased Jews of theSurbtalcommunities were buried on the river island which was leased by the Jewish community. As the island was repeatedly flooded and devastated, in 1750 theSurbtal Jewsasked theTagsatzungto establish theEndingen cemeteryin the vicinity of their communities.[19][20]


Geography

[edit]
View of theLägernfromBözberg

The capital of the canton isAarau,which is located on its western border, on theAare.The canton bordersGermany(Baden-Württemberg) to the north, the Rhine forming the border. To the west lie the Swiss cantons ofBasel-Landschaft,SolothurnandBern;thecanton of Lucernelies south, andZürichandZugto the east. Its total area is 1,404 square kilometers (542 sq mi). Besides the Rhine, it contains two large rivers, theAareand theReuss.[7]

The canton of Aargau is one of the least mountainous Swiss cantons, forming part of agreat table-land,to the north of theAlpsand the east of theJura,above which rise low hills. The surface of the country is diversified with undulating tracts and well-wooded hills, alternating with fertile valleys watered mainly by the Aare and its tributaries.[21]The valleys alternate with hills, many of which are wooded. Slightly over one-third of the canton is wooded (518 square kilometers (200 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 (notablyLake Hallwil) and streams. With a population density of 450/km2(1,200/sq mi), the canton has a relatively high amount of land used for human development, with 216.7 square kilometers (83.7 sq mi) or about 15% of the canton developed for housing or transportation.[22]

It contains the hot sulphur springs ofBadenandSchinznach-Bad,while atRheinfeldenthere are very extensive saline springs. Just belowBruggtheReussand theLimmatjoin the Aar, while around Brugg are the ruined castle ofHabsburg,the old convent ofKönigsfelden(with fine painted medieval glass) and the remains of theRomansettlement ofVindonissa(Windisch).

Fahr Monasteryforms a smallexclaveof the canton, otherwise surrounded by thecanton of Zürich,and since 2008 is part of the Aargau municipality ofWürenlos.

Political subdivisions

[edit]

Districts

[edit]
See also:Districts of Switzerland
Districts in Aargau

Aargau is divided into 11 districts:

The most recent change in district boundaries occurred in 2010 whenHottwiltransferred from Brugg to Laufenburg, following its merger with other municipalities, all of which were in Laufenburg.

Municipalities

[edit]
Main articles:Municipalities of the canton of AargauandMunicipalities of Switzerland

There are (as of 2014) 213 municipalities in the canton of Aargau. As with most Swiss cantons there has been a trend since the early 2000s for municipalities to merge, though mergers in Aargau have so far been less radical than in other cantons.

Coat of arms

[edit]

Theblazonof thecoat of armsisPer pale, dexter: sable, a fess wavy argent, charged with two cotises wavy azure; sinister: sky blue, three mullets of five argent.[23]

The flag and arms of the canton of Aargau date to 1803 and are an original design by Samuel Ringier-Seelmatter; the current official design, specifying the stars as five-pointed, dates to 1930.

Demographics

[edit]

Aargau has a population (as of December 2020) of 694,072.[2]As of 2010,21.5% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 11%. Migration accounted for 8.7%, while births and deaths accounted for 2.8%.[24]Most of the population (as of 2000) speaksGerman(477,093 or 87.1%) as their first language,Italianis the second most common (17,847 or 3.3%) andSerbo-Croatianis the third (10,645 or 1.9%). There are 4,151 people who speak French and 618 people who speakRomansh.[25]

Of the population in the canton, 146,421 or about 26.7% were born in Aargau and lived there in 2000. There were 140,768 or 25.7% who were born in the same canton, while 136,865 or 25.0% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 107,396 or 19.6% were born outside of Switzerland.[25]

As of 2000,children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.3% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.4%.[24]

As of 2000,there were 227,656 people who were single and never married in the canton. There were 264,939 married individuals, 27,603 widows or widowers and 27,295 individuals who are divorced.[25]

As of 2000,there were 224,128 private households in the canton, and an average of 2.4 persons per household.[24]There were 69,062 households that consist of only one person and 16,254 households with five or more people. As of 2009,the construction rate of new housing units was 6.5 new units per 1000 residents.[24]The vacancy rate for the canton, in 2010,was 1.54%.[24]

The majority of the population is centered on one of three areas: theAare Valley,the side branches of the Aare Valley, or along theRhine.[5]

Historic population

[edit]

The historical population is given in the following chart:[26][27][28]

Politics

[edit]

In the 2011federal election,the most popular party was theSVPwhich received 34.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were theSP/PS(18.0%), theFDP(11.5%) and theCVP(10.6%).[29]

The SVP received about the same percentage of the vote as they did in the2007 Federal election(36.2% in 2007 vs 34.7% in 2011). The SPS retained about the same popularity (17.9% in 2007), the FDP retained about the same popularity (13.6% in 2007) and the CVP retained about the same popularity (13.5% in 2007).[30]

Federal election results

[edit]
Percentage of the total vote per party in the canton in theNational CouncilElections 1971-2023[31]
Party Ideology 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
SVP/UDC Swiss nationalism 12.5 12.8 13.9 14.1 15.7 17.9 19.8 31.8 34.6 36.2 34.7 38.0 31.5 35.5
SP/PS Social democracy 23.9 24.2 27.6 27.5 18.5 17.4 19.4 18.7 21.2 17.9 18.0 16.1 16.5 16.4
FDP.The Liberalsa Classical liberalism 15.9 17.7 20.5 20.2 20.3 16.4 15.8 17.2 15.3 13.6 11.5 15.1 13.6 13.1
The Centre Christian democracy * * * * * * * * * * * * * 12.0
GLP/PVL Green liberalism * * * * * * * * * * 5.7 5.2 8.5 8.5
GPS/PES Green politics * * * * * 6.8 5.3 4.4 5.1 8.1 7.3 5.5 9.8 7.1
EVP/PEV Christian democracy 3.8 4.6 5.0 5.0 3.4 3.3 3.0 3.8 5.2 4.2 3.2 3.3 3.6 4.5
EDU/UDF Christian right * * * * 1.0 1.4 1.3 1.4 * 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0
CVP/PDC/PPD/PCD Christian democracy 20.0 20.6 22.5 21.5 18.9 14.5 14.2 16.3 15.6 13.5 10.6 8.6 9.9 *d
BDP/PBD Conservatism * * * * * * * * * * 6.1 5.1 3.1 *d
SD/DS National conservatism 3.4 3.5 1.6 4.0 4.5 4.5 4.5 2.7 1.4 0.7 0.4 * * *
FPS/PSL Right-wing populism * * * * 5.3 13.2 11.3 1.4 0.2 * * * * *
FGA Feminist * * * * 6.9 *c 0.1 * 0.8 * * * * *
Ring of Independents Social liberalism 9.4 6.6 5.5 5.9 4.7 4.3 3.3 2.0 *b * * * * *
Rep. Right-wing populism 5.8 6.5 2.1 * * * * * * * * * * *
POCH Progressivism * 0.6 * * * * * * * * * * * *
Other 5.2 2.9 1.1 1.8 0.9 0.4 1.1 0.1 0.4 4.7 1.3 2.0 2.5 1.9
Voter participation % 62.5 50.7 45.6 44.9 43.1 42.3 42.1 42.0 42.3 47.9 48.5 48.3
^aFDP before 2009, FDP.The Liberals after 2009
^b"*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.
^cPart of the GPS
^dCVP and BDP merged to form The Centre party.

Cantonal politics

[edit]

The Grand Council of thecantonof Aargau is calledGrosser Rat.It is thelegislatureof the canton, has 140 seats, with members elected every four years.

Religion

[edit]
Catholic City Church in Baden, Aargau

From the 2000 census,219,800 or 40.1% wereRoman Catholic,while 189,606 or 34.6% belonged to theSwiss Reformed Church.Of the rest of the population, there were 11,523 members of anOrthodoxchurch (or about 2.10% of the population), there were 3,418 individuals (or about 0.62% of the population) who belonged to theChristian Catholic Church,and there were 29,580 individuals (or about 5.40% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 342 individuals (or about 0.06% of the population) who wereJewish,and 30,072 (or about 5.49% of the population) who wereMuslim.There were 1,463 individuals who wereBuddhist,2,089 individuals who wereHinduand 495 individuals who belonged to another church. 57,573 (or about 10.52% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic oratheist,and 15,875 individuals (or about 2.90% of the population) did not answer the question.[25]

Education

[edit]

In Aargau about 212,069 or (38.7%) of the population have completed non-mandatoryupper secondary education,and 70,896 or (12.9%) have completed additional higher education (eitheruniversityor aFachhochschule). Of the 70,896 who completed tertiary schooling, 63.6% were Swiss men, 20.9% were Swiss women, 10.4% were non-Swiss men and 5.2% were non-Swiss women.[25]

Economy

[edit]
Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant

As of 2010,Aargau had an unemployment rate of 3.6%. As of 2008,there were 11,436 people employed in theprimary economic sectorand about 3,927 businesses involved in this sector. 95,844 people were employed in thesecondary sectorand there were 6,055 businesses in this sector. 177,782 people were employed in thetertiary sector,with 21,530 businesses in this sector.[24]

In 2008the total number offull-time equivalentjobs was 238,225. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 7,167, of which 6,731 were in agriculture, 418 were in forestry or lumber production and 18 were in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 90,274 of which 64,089 or (71.0%) were in manufacturing, 366 or (0.4%) were in mining and 21,705 (24.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 140,784. In the tertiary sector; 38,793 or 27.6% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 13,624 or 9.7% were in the movement and storage of goods, 8,150 or 5.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 5,164 or 3.7% were in the information industry, 5,946 or 4.2% were the insurance or financial industry, 14,831 or 10.5% were technical professionals or scientists, 10,951 or 7.8% were in education and 21,952 or 15.6% were in health care.[32]

Of the working population, 19.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 55.3% used a private car.[24]Public transportation – bus and train – is provided byBusbetrieb Aarau AG.

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.[7]The canton is also industrially developed, particularly in the fields ofelectrical engineering,precision instruments, iron, steel, cement andtextiles.[7]

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 ofZürich,which is just across the cantonal border. As such the per capita cantonal income (in 2005) is 49,209CHF.[33]

Tourism is significant, particularly for the hot springs atBadenandSchinznach-Bad,the ancient castles, the landscape, and the many old museums in the canton.[21]Hillwalking is another tourist attraction but is of only limited significance.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^The Imperial Ban outlawed all possessions of that person or family, in this case the Habsburgs. Thereafter, the Habsburg lands were open to the taking.[10]

Footnotes

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  1. ^Arealstatistik Land Cover - Kantone und Grossregionen nach 6 Hauptbereichenaccessed 27 October 2017
  2. ^ab"Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit".bfs.admin.ch(in German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020.Retrieved21 September2021.
  3. ^Statistik, Bundesamt für (21 January 2021)."Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) nach Grossregion und Kanton - 2008-2018 | Tabelle".Bundesamt für Statistik(in German).Retrieved1 July2023.
  4. ^"The Aargau location - your advantage".Departement Volkswirtschaft und Inneres, ag.ch.Retrieved30 January2021.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^abcVan Valkenburg 1997,p. 3
  6. ^abOgrizek & Rufenacht 1949,p. 4
  7. ^abcdeCohen 1998,p. 1
  8. ^Farbkarte 2002,p. 283
  9. ^Peter Frey. "Die Habsburg. Bericht über die Ausgrabungen von 1994/95" in:Argovia, Jahresschrift der Historischen Gesellschaft des Kantons Aargau109 (1997), p. 167.
  10. ^abcdLuck 1985,p. 98
  11. ^Luck 1985,p. 88
  12. ^abcSauerlände 2002
  13. ^abcWohle 2006
  14. ^Gasser & Keller 1932,p. 82
  15. ^abcdeSteigmeier 2002
  16. ^Bridgwater & Aldrich 1968,p. 11
  17. ^abAriel David (14 October 2018)."Oldest Jewish Community in Switzerland Is Disappearing, but Not Without a Fight".Haaretz.
  18. ^abcdefKayserling 1906,pp. 1–2
  19. ^Steigmeier, Andreas (4 February 2008)."Judenäule"(in German). HDS.Retrieved17 December2015.
  20. ^"Jüdischer Friedhof Endingen / Lengau (Kanton Aargau / CH)"(in German). alemannia-judaica.de.Retrieved17 December2015.
  21. ^abHoiberg 2010,p. 4
  22. ^Federal Department of Statistics 2006
  23. ^Heimer 2000
  24. ^abcdefgSwiss Federal Statistical Office 2013[full citation needed]
  25. ^abcdeFederal Department of Statistics 2000
  26. ^abSteigmeier 2010
  27. ^Federal Department of Statistics 2011
  28. ^Federal Department of Statistics 2011a
  29. ^Heer 2013
  30. ^Federal Department of Statistics 2013
  31. ^Nationalratswahlen: Stärke der Parteien nach Kantonen (Schweiz = 100%)(Report). Swiss Federal Statistical Office. 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 2 August 2016.Retrieved8 August2016.
  32. ^Federal Department of Statistics 2013a
  33. ^Federal Department of Statistics 2013b[full citation needed]

References

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