The great road and rail cross-country routes of Switzerland, Basle-St Gotthard-Ticino, and Lake Constance-Lake of Geneva, intersect in the lower Wigger valley, the most westerly point of the canton of Aargau. Of the 12 historic towns of Aargau, the old town of Zofingen is the most extensive. It was founded by the Counts of Frohburg who, in the third quarter of the 12th C., began to secure their lands to the north and south of the upper Hauenstein with eight new towns and several castles. The first known mention of the place was in 1175 or 1179; in 1201 the "Canonici de Zovingen" were acknowledged.
As early as the first century A.D. a Roman estate existed outside the line of the walls which were built later. During the Bernese domination, which lasted almost 400 years, the town was granted a certain measure of self-government and, in 1803, it was raised to the status of a district capital. From 1830, increasing industrialization (printing, processing of textiles, chemical works and engineering, etc.) took place. Important educational buildings followed from the 19th to the mid-20th C., including, in 1974-78, the modern educational center, embracing six schools, in the Wigger plain between Zofingen and Stengelbach.
The very well maintained Old Town of Zofingen contains many attractive features. The broad Niklaus Thut Square, originally called "Am Spitzberg", forms the town center. A fountain of the same name (1894) commemorates Mayor N. Thut who carried the town banner in 1386 at the Battle of Sempach.
The small town of Brittnau, south of Zofingen, has an interesting local museum. Exhibits include coins, local and church history, blacksmithing and agricultural equipment as well as weapons, documents and photos.
The Zofingen Market Hall (once the headquarters of the butchers) and a cloth-hall, later to become the library, form links to the Vorderer Hauptgasse (outer main street). The last named is a narrow Baroque building with a hipped roof and open arcades. Since reconstruction in 1984, the weekly market is accommodated here, together with banqueting and conference rooms.
The old 18th century Zofingen town chancellery, which adjoins the Market Hall on the west, was restored in 1982; it has a huge hipped roof and now serves as a local administration building.
Where the Hotel Römerbad now stands in Zofingen, there was in the middle of the first century a Roman villa rustica. During excavations in 1826-1827, three Roman mosaic pavements were discovered; these were dug up and provided with protective covers in the style of Grecian temples. The pavements were re-protected in 1974. Finds from excavations can be seen in the museum.
In the Hintere Hauptgasse (outer main street) where the nobility once lived, the silk manufacturer J. A. Senn set up an alpine dairy, completed in 1732. In the domestic wing on the south side can be seen fine linen tapestries showing panoramic scenes and genre landscapes.
Remains of an encircling wall, mentioned in the 13th C., are the Schwarz or Pulvertum (black or powder tower) a well-known landmark in the southeast of Zofingen, and the Strecke or Folterturm (rack or torture tower), now part of the Jelmoli department store. In the area of the Oberer Tor (upper gate) which was demolished in 1846 stand two original cottages in the Classical style.
Lovers of nature can relax in the zoo above Zofingen or they can enjoy walks in the neighborhood (there is an excellent nature trail). From the hill known as the "Bergli" there are good views over the upper Wigger valley and the Alps.
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Brittnau - Local Museum, Switzerland
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