Egerkingen

View from the " Höchi Flue " above Egerkingens towards the Alps

Egerkingen is a municipality in the district Gaeu the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland.

Geography

Egerkingen is located at the northeastern end of the district Gaeu. Its neighbors to the north are community Langenbruck, northeast Hägendorf, Gunzgen east, southeast Härkingen, south Neuendorf, southwest Oberbuchsiten and to the northwest Holder SO. Thus Egerkingen borders the district of Olten and district of Thal in the canton own while using the tiny Bärenwil in the community Langenbruck the border is shared to canton Basel. The northern half is covered by forest undergrowth, while the southern half account for settlement and arable fields.

History

Egerkingen, a village in the former Buchsgau the foot of the Jura, from which the chronicler Haffner has written anno 1666, it was a semi- terrestrial paradise, one of the oldest settlements in the canton of Solothurn. The Oltner Soil scientists Theodor Swiss unearthed on the foothill Ramelen a prehistoric, neolithic sanctuary. The Roman period is represented by several sites, so the school building Kleinfeld, the restaurant " Crescent", in the village of behind the church as well as in today's " clinic Fridau ". In " Santel " you dug a Roman estate, and even the Catholic St. Martin's Church stands on Roman walls. Alemannic 1957 a burial ground was discovered.

The Alemanni, who advanced to 500 in this area, the successors of the so-called Helvetorömer were. A clan of the Alemanni left after the final collapse of the Roman Empire under its leader and namesake Agarich down here. The name of the village changed from Agarichingen about Egrachingen, Egrichen ( first mentioned in 1201), about Egerchingen (1212) to Egerkingen.

From the circle of German -speaking Alemanni the nobles formed from the leaders families gradually emerged, whose Count officiated on behalf of the king as supreme judge in Gaeu.

The county Härkingen, with Neuendorf and Egerkingen, was donated by Emperor Henry IV to the bishopric of Basel in 1080. In 1402 Hans von Blaustein sold the Castle Neu -Falkenstein and the four villages Egerkingen, Härkingen, Neuendorf and Wolfwil to the city of Solothurn. By joining the territory of the Counts of Solothurn Froburg took over the reins in the community. This still owned 1478 in Egerkingen a documentary testified yard, from which they got paid tithing. In 1481 Egerkingen has been federally together with Solothurn.

Even further back the history of the Old ( top ) Mill: This was in 1385 the Knights Hug of Falkenstein, who bequeathed it to his wife Anna of Durrach. The present form of the building dates from 1614. Following closure in 1970 and the renovation in 1991, is the Old Mill as a conference center and a meeting place available to the public.

The village extended up to 1724 the Flüebach down along the upper mill, then along the road from the restaurant to the restaurant Crescent Cross, finally, on the mountainside as a suburb to the " Faerch ". The original village center with gardens and farmsteads surrounded for protection against grazing livestock fence with a book that has been partially preserved in the field of " Jacob's Ladder " and the " Flüehloch " until today. The majority of the villagers went to a crafting profession by: blacksmith, weavers, tailors, Seiler, beekeepers, cobblers, just to name a few.

The Catholic St. Martin's Church is to be among the oldest churches in Switzerland. It was first mentioned in 1294 and is now under the protection of the Swiss Confederation.

After the opening of the railway line in 1876 between Solothurn and Olten ( Gäubahn ) had little effect on the local industry, the strong population growth in the last 50 years has been mainly triggered by the construction of national roads, which drew the settlement of a large number of establishments by itself. So Egerkingen was in 1970 at the intersection of two major road links Switzerland, the A1 and A2 motorways. This development was positive for the workplace as well as the services offered.

Also as a congress location Egerkingen is sought; so is posted with around almost every other night in the Canton of Solothurn here.

Population

Attractions

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Egerkingen shows on a blue background a green Two mountain, each with a green pine, beseitet up of three yellow lilies, of which the middle one is overthrown.

Personalities

• Urs Josef Hammer (1779-1843), captain in the service of Napoleon, Knight of the Legion of Honour and recipient of the Order of Ludwig
• Josef Meinrad Rauber (1861-1939), teacher, promoter of culture and singer father
• Reto von Arx (born 1976 ), ice hockey player