Aarau, Medieval cantonal capital in northern Switzerland
Located at the southern foot of the Jura Mountains, Aarau extends along the right bank of the Aare River at 384 meters elevation.
Founded in 1240 by the counts of Kyburg, Aarau served as the first capital of unified Switzerland during the Helvetic Republic in 1798.
The historic old town features buildings from the 16th century with painted gables, a town church from 1471, and a cantonal library containing Zwingli's Bible.
The Aarau railway station connects to Zurich through S-Bahn line S11, while local buses provide transportation throughout the municipality.
The ruins of Habsburg castle, known as Habichtsburg, stand northeast of the town as the original residence of the Habsburg dynasty.
Location: Aarau District
Inception: 1240
Elevation above the sea: 384 m
Part of: RPV Region Aarau
Shares border with: Erlinsbach, Küttigen, Biberstein, Unterentfelden, Suhr, Buchs
Website: https://aarau.ch
GPS coordinates: 47.39230,8.04460
Latest update: May 28, 2025 18:27
Old Kantonsschule
630 m
Telli Housing Estate
1.4 km
Aargauer Kunsthaus (art collection)
254 m
Schlössli Aarau
234 m
Aarau city church
161 m
Kettenbrücke Aarau
395 m
Old armoury (General Herzog house)
378 m
Upper Tower
44 m
KiFF
1.6 km
Staatsarchiv Aargau
614 m
Aargau canton library (collection)
267 m
Naturama Aargau
527 m
Evangelical-reformed parish church
2.5 km
Affenkasten
134 m
City hall
157 m
Government Building
255 m
Tuchlaube
167 m
Krematorium Aarau
533 m
Zum Schlossgarten house
219 m
Column house
647 m
Dominikanerinnenkloster Aarau, Schweiz
171 m
Grand Council building
304 m
Obere Mühle
193 m
Fountain of Justice
129 m
Blumenhalde villa
739 m
Gönhard Schoolhouse
868 m
Amthaus (former hospital then cantonal school)
197 m
Herosé-Stift
739 mReviews
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