Oftringen

Oftringen (Swiss German: ɔftrɪɡə ) is a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau. It is located in Wiggertal and borders the Canton of Solothurn. With nearly 13,000 residents Oftringen is the fifth most populous municipality in the canton.

Geography

The municipality extends over the eastern part of the flat Wigger level. It has no center, but is a scattered settlement. The districts north of the motorway have grown together with Aarburg. The hamlet of Cross Street was built at the intersection of major highways and roads of Switzerland ( Zurich, Bern or Basel -Lucerne ). To the north of the district Schwarzhoor lies at the foot of the towering Engelberg ( 691 m above sea level. M. ), which forms the natural border with the Aare Valley between Olten and Aarau.

South of the highway is a second settlement shifted to the village Küngoldingen ( districts Stage Mountain, Ruhbank ) and incurred by the district Wirtshüsli. Their development has grown together with that Zofingen. The southeastern part of the municipal territory consists of a raised level above which is semicircular surrounded by shallow to medium Share hills. The highest point of these hills is the Hochwacht ( 654 m above sea level. M. ). The Wigger forms the southwestern boundary of the municipality. At the same time, about three hundred meters to the east, flows through the cross road of Aarburger Mühletych. It is artificial side-arm, which was created at the beginning of the 16th century; he served for driving mill wheels, a few centuries later as hydropower supplier to the industry.

The area of the municipality is 1285 hectares, of which 435 hectares are forested and built over 394 hectares. The highest point is located on 664 meters on the small function room, a part of the Engelberg- chain, the deepest at 405 meters at the Wigger.

Neighboring municipalities are Safenwil in the east, Zofingen and Strengelbach in the south, Rothrist the southwest, Aarburg in the northwest and the communities Solothurn Olten, Starrkirch- Wil, Dulliken and Walterswil in the north.

History

The area of Oftringen been inhabited during the Middle Stone Age around 10,000 BC. From Roman times, the remains of a large manor come. In the 7th century Alamannic immigrants founded a scattered settlement. Ofteringa is mentioned in a document in any application of the Women's cathedral in Zurich for the first time in the year 893. The place name comes from Old High Oftharingun, which means " when the people of Ofthar ". The first mention of the village was Küngoldingen 1346 (as Kuinnolfingen ). In the Middle Ages Oftringen was owned by the Counts of Frohnburg, later the Habsburgs.

Küngoldingen belonged to the territory of the Counts of Lenzburg, from 1173 in that the counts of Kyburg. After these had died out, the Habsburgs, the new sovereign and owner of the high courts were in 1264. At that time was on the Sodhubel ( municipality Oftringen, adjacent to Safenwil ), a small castle Scherenberg, of which only the foundations remain. As of 1361 the village area of Küngoldingen also belonged to the lords of Ifenthal.

On the Säli the Lords of Ifenthal built the Alt- Wartburg. It was destroyed in 1415, when the Confederates conquered the Aargau. Oftringen now lay in the subject territory of Berne, the so-called Bernese Aargau. Administratively, it belonged to the Official Aarburg, in spiritual things, it was subordinate to the Canons in Zofingen. 1528 resulted in the Bernese the Reformation. The French conquered in March 1798, the Switzerland, ended the rule of the " Gracious gentlemen " of Bern and proclaimed the Helvetic Republic. Since then Oftringen belongs to the canton of Aargau.

For centuries Oftringen was dominated by agriculture and small businesses closely related. With industrialization in the 19th century this changed. Especially after the opening of the railway line Aarau- Olten- Emmen Bridge on June 9, 1856, the line to Herzogenbuchsee on 16 March 1857, many industrial enterprises settled in and benefited from the favorable location. Until 1920 Oftringen became a separate parish, the first church was built in 1933.

The growth was enhanced by the construction of highways: Especially in the boom period between 1950 and 1970 the village grew very strong. During the economic crisis of the 1970s, there was a stagnation, since 1980, the population is increasing slightly again. The 10'000er limit was exceeded in December 1995. In 1974, possessed Oftringen a local parliament, which was, however, abolished in a referendum back in 1989.

Attractions

At the banquet room, a tributary of the summit of Mount Angel, is the Alt- Wartburg, a castle destroyed in 1415, of the ruins are still left. The hamlet of Cross Street is dominated by town houses, which were built at the end of the 18th century in Neoclassical style. It was not until 1933/34, Oftringen got its own church, the most prominent feature of this building is the striking stilettförmige Steeple.

From the ruins Scherenberg at Küngoldingen only single wall remains and a now almost sunken Sodbrunnen are (including long -buried underground passages ) left worth seeing, however, the animal and other wall reliefs in the immediate vicinity which a " dropout " at the beginning of the 20th century chiseled into the sandstone walls.

Worth seeing is the local museum Oftringen. It consists of two buildings, the " Old Lion " and the " Hochstudhaus ". The Hochstudhaus shows rural life and work ( equipment and tools ). In the old lion, the second oldest stone house in the village, temporary exhibitions to see village life and history. Each year there are new exhibitions.

Coat of arms

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is: " Azure, three (2.1 ) rising white crescents. » The three crescents were in 1811 depicted on the seal community, but with a face and a green three mountain. Derived from the coat of arms was that of the lords of Ofteringen from the Wutachtal, in 1621, it has been associated with Oftringen. In 1953 you left off the faces and the three mountain.

Population

Population development:

On 31 December 2013 13'073 people lived in Oftringen, the proportion of foreigners was 32.9 %. At the 2000 census, 45.3 % were reformed, 29.0 % Roman Catholic, 9.7% Muslim and 2.4% Christian Orthodox; 1.2% belonged to other faiths. 81.4 % identified German as their main language, 5.4 % speak Italian, Serbo-Croatian 3.7%, Albanian 2.5%, 1.8% Turkish, 1.1% Portuguese, 1.0% Spanish, 0.7 % French.

Politics and Law

The Assembly of the voters, the municipal assembly, shall exercise the legislative power. Executive authority is the council. His term of office is four years and he was elected in Majorzverfahren ( majority voting procedure) by the people. He leads and represents the community. To this end, he implements the decisions of the municipal assembly and the tasks that were assigned to him by the cantonal and federal. As head of the executive branch of the mayor shall act in full office, the other councilors in the next office.

The five councilors of the official period 2010-2013 are:

Julius Fischer ( PRO Oftringen ), mayor
René Wullschleger (SVP ), Vice- Ammann
Hans Pauli (SVP )
Heinrich Schoeni ( SP)
Hans Peter Schläfli (FDP),

For litigation, the District Court has jurisdiction Zofingen. At the local level there is a justice of the peace, who is also responsible for the community Aarburg.

Economy

In Oftringen there according to Census 2008, approximately 4,500 jobs, of which 2% in agriculture, 32 % in industry and 66 % in the service sector. With its ideal location right next to the motorway numerous service companies have settled in Oftringen. The best-known industrial company is Omya ( fillers and pigments), whose corporate headquarters is located in Oftringen. The Senn AG is active in steel and metal. There are three shopping centers, the mall eo- Tychboden, the Perry Center (on Aarburger municipality ) and the center a1. Most workers are commuters and work in Zofingen or Olten.

Traffic

Oftringen is traffic-technically extremely conveniently situated next to the motorway junction Wiggertal where the A2 meets the A1. In the district cross street you will also cross the two major highways and roads of Switzerland, the main street 1 ( Zurich -Bern ) and the main road 2 (Basel -Lucerne ).

The SBB train station Aarburg - Oftringen located on the municipal boundary; Regional trains run it to Olten, Langenthal and Lucerne. The district Küngoldingen has its own railway station on the railway line Zofingen Lenzburg. Three bus routes society SDR tap into the municipal area; between Zofingen and Aarburg, of Trimbach via Olten and Aarburg Center for a1 and of Zofingen Rothrist to Murgenthal.

Education

The municipality has five kindergartens and six school houses in which all grades of compulsory elementary school can be visited (primary school, secondary school, secondary school, school district ). The nearest Canton schools ( high schools ) are located in Zofingen, and Aarau.

Personalities

Natascha (* 1966), triathlete
Barbara Balzan (born 1969 ), jazz singer
Walter Glur (* 1943), politician
Paul Haupt (1889-1978), publisher
Erich Ritter (born 1958 ), biologist
Jacob Wothly (1823-1873), pioneer of photography

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