Before the Municipality’s Establishment Archeological discoveries from the prehistoric era are scant. Two blades and fragments of a stone ax from the early Stone Age as well as a sickle from the Bronze Age are all that have been unearthed. In 58 BC, or shortly thereafter, the
Helvetii, who had returned to the
Swiss Plateau following the
Battle of Bibracte, (re-)founded the settlement of
Vindonissa on a hill between the Aare and
Reuss on what is today territory of the neighboring community of Windisch. The
Romans constructed a military post at Vindonissa around 15 BC, which they expanded into an encampment of a
Roman Legion. At this time the first wooden bridge over the Aare was built as part of a
Roman road across the Jura mountains to
Augusta Raurica (known today as
Augst). It was the only position along the Aare between
Lake Thun and the
Rhine at which the river could be crossed with a single log. Remains of around 350 Roman graves have since been discovered within Brugg, where two large Roman burial grounds were located, and archeologists estimate that a total of 7,000 graves exist. After the invasion of the
Alemanni between 259 and 270 AD the Romans converted Vindonissa back into a camp of a Roman Legion, breaking with a 170-year "civilian phase." Around 370 AD the Romans established a fort as part of the
Donau-Iller-Rhine-Limes-System in Altenburg. The Romans, though, ultimately withdrew between the years 401 and 406 AD. Settlement of the Alemanni in their stead has been traced to the 7th century. The
toponymy is first recorded as
Bruggo (
Latin) in 1064. In the late 10th century a noble dynasty under
Lanzelin, which was possibly related to the Alsatian
Etichonids, settled in Altenburg. He expanded the established Roman fort into the Altenburg Castle and made it his seat. Around 1020 Lanzelin's son,
Radbot, ordered the construction of the
Habsburg Castle approximately three kilometers to the southwest on the Wülpelsberg in the modern town of
Habsburg. A few decades later the royal house adopted the castle's name as its own. Consequently, Altenburg is the first verifiable residence of the Habsburgs. With the acquisition of this territory between the Aare and Reuss, known as the "
Eigenamt," the Habsburgs established the steppingstone of their imperium.
Habsburg Rule The earliest documented use of the name
Bruggo has been dated to the year 1064, when
Count Werner I attested to the possession of goods on the part of
Muri Abbey in the area. The exact date, however, is contentious, as the
Acta Murensia was first drawn up in 1160 and included a number of various older documents. Between 1164 and 1174 the place was mentioned as
Brucca and between 1227 and 1234 as
Brukke. At the end of the 12th century the Black Tower, or
Schwarze Turm, was constructed at the behest of Count Albrecht III,
Werner II's son. The Black Tower is the oldest standing structure remaining in Brugg's old town today. During the 13th century the settlement at the fortified river crossing took on the characteristics of a small town. Coins were minted from 1232, while a toll post was established in 1273. The town had a mayor, or
Schultheiss, by 1278 and the first mention of a market can be traced to 1283. The importance of Brugg to the Habsburg can be seen in their decision to relocate to the town between 1220 and 1230. The confines of the Habsburg Castle had become too small for the family members that lived there. In 1242 the town is said to have been plundered by supporters of the Habsburg's
Laufenburg Line.
Rudolf I, who spent a great deal of time in Brugg before his election to
King of the Romans, awarded Brugg
city rights, or
Stadtrecht, on 23 July 1284. The decree awarding this new status was identical, word for word, to that of the town of Aarau. At the same time Brugg was granted independence from the Eigenamt and became a separate polity. Although the Habsburgs had moved their center of power a few years earlier to
Vienna, they continued to maintain close ties with Brugg. The "Austrian House," later known as "Effingerhof," served as accommodations and a headquarters during military conflicts throughout this period of time in the
Austrian forelands. On 1 May 1308 King
Albrecht I was murdered by his nephew
John Parricida in the neighboring community of Windisch. In memory of this event his wife,
Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol, founded
Königsfelden Abbey (Cloister of King's Field), a
Franciscan monastery and
Clarisse convent, in 1310–11 at the site – approximately 200 meters from Brugg. Albrecht's oldest daughter,
Agnes of Hungary, the widow of the Hungarian King
Andrew III, moved to Königsfelden in 1317 and led it to commercial success, but did not join a religious order. In 1348 she received the sovereign rights to Brugg as well as the neighboring districts of
Bözberg (including
Lauffohr) and the Eigenamt (including Altenburg) from her brother Duke
Albrecht II. These rights lapsed after her death in 1364. Although the town was under Habsburg control, there were still the beginnings of an independent polity. In the 1350s Brugg agreed to association, or
Burgrecht, treaties with
Baden and
Mellingen (1351) and with the
Cloister of Wittichen in the upper
Kinzig Valley (1353). The departments of Bözburg and Eigenamt, upon their reversion of Habsburg control in 1364, also fell under the military leadership of the town. During this time the Austrians regularly assembled their armed forces in Brugg, as Duke
Leopold III did in 1386 prior to the
Battle of Sempach.
Conquest and Conflict Frederick IV fell into disregard at the
Council of Constance in 1415, after he assisted the flight of the opposition
Pope John XXIII. In response, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund requested the
Swiss to take control of
Aargau.
Bern did not hesitate and dispatched troops at once. The residents of Brugg did not resist the invaders and allowed them to enter the town unopposed. In return Bern left the town alone. The town and the Eigenamt, in turn, found themselves in the northeasternmost section of Bern's subject territories, known as
Bernese Aargau. At the same time, the Habsburgs relinquished control of
Schenkenberg, originally in the district of
Bözberg, to creditors they had pledged the territory to following their loss in the Battle of Sempach. This left Brugg in a predicament as its periphery and forest on the Bruggerburg along the northern bank of the Aare remained outside of the jurisdiction of Bern. Brugg was therefore required to consult regularly with the rulers of Schenkenberg concerning its northern territory. (1513) King
Frederick III of the
House of Habsburg joined with Zürich in 1443 in the
Old Zürich War and demanded the return of his Argovian territories. The residents of Brugg expected an economic boost upon the return of the Habsburgs and were therefore sympathetic to Zürich's cause. Brugg's location at the edge of Bern's territory had led to a substantial economic slowdown in town. As Zürich was besieged by troops from the other Swiss cantons, French King
Charles VII dispatched
Armagnac mercenaries to the conflict region to aid Zürich. To assist in their advance towards the town, Brugg was attacked on the night of the 29th / 30 July 1444. A small band led by Baron Thomas von Falkenstein sneaked down the Bruggerberg and forced its way through town, ransacking homes and setting a number of them ablaze. Many citizens were kidnapped in the ensuing chaos and held for ransom. Although the ordeal did not cause many deaths, it was nonetheless characterized as a downright massacre by Zürich's opponents and subsequently referred to as the "Brugg Night of Murder" (
Brugger Mordnacht). In retaliation, forces from Bern and
Solothurn attacked and destroyed Falkenstein's family seat near
Niedergösgen. Meanwhile, the Armagnac's advance was halted at the
Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs on 26 August 1444, making the raid on Brugg militarily insignificant. On 5 September 1445 troops from Zürich launched another assault on Brugg, but their raid was detected at an early stage and consequently repelled, whereupon they pillaged surrounding villages. In 1451, Thüring of Aarburg sold Schenkenberg to Hans and Markwart of Baldegg. The new rulers and Brugg soon found themselves in conflict with one another over Brugg's right to use the Bruggerberg. The Baldeggs, who had demonstratively aligned themselves with the Austrians, considered their territory on the northern bank of the Aare to be their personal property and took offense at the town's claims upon it. By 1460, Bern had had enough of the constant harassment of its subject town and seized the dominion. All residents of Brugg were thereafter subjects of Bern. Nonetheless, this changed little on the outskirts of town, as Bern's border had been pushed to the north by only a few kilometers, and conflict continued to impair the town's economy. During the eighty years subsequent to the "Brugg Night of Murder" the population of Brugg was halved and surrounding communities were able to expand their trading areas and markets at the expense of Brugg.
Subject Territory of Bern Brugg was granted the special status of "municipal town" (
Munizipalstadt) in Bern. It was therefore not subject to another, intermediary sovereign, or
Landvogtei, and possessed more autonomy than other comparable towns. At the head of Brugg's government at this time sat two mayors, called
Schultheiss, each of whom served two-year, alternating terms as chair. Together with seven further individuals they made up the "Small City Council," which undertook various administrative tasks. Below them stood the "Large Council," which was composed of twelve members. It was expected to keep the Small Council in check. Both councils were selected from among the thirty-two-member "
Kleinglocke" (literally "Small Bell"), members of which were named by the Small Council. This meant that unwanted candidates had no chance of assuming higher office, other than through the use of bribes. These councils were therefore exclusive, with a small number of influential members of the community sharing these lucrative posts among one another. Meanwhile, the disempowered citizenry possessed only the right to elect the town's priest and the town's open assembly, the "
Maiding," was purely symbolic. in
Topographia Helvetiae, Rhaetiae et Valesiae In January 1528, Bern decided to introduce reforms to religious institutions and, therewith, join the
Reformation. Referendums were held in all towns and
Landvogteien. The areas surrounding Brugg voted in favor of breaking with the
Catholic Church, while the town itself voted by a majority of five to remain Catholic. Brugg was nonetheless isolated in this desire and ultimately caved in to Bern under massive political pressure. The town's school, in existence since at least 1396, was consequently converted into a state-administered
Latin school. It served primarily as a preparatory school for students bound for the theological academy in the city of Bern. It was supported financially by the income of the now-disbanded Kloster Königsfelden. The school itself produced an above-average number of priests and scholars, which led many to label Brugg the "Prophet Town" ("
Prophetenstadt"). Despite its subject status, the town repeatedly tried to expand its own influence into the surrounding area. It had, for instance, possessed the patronage of the church in
Mönthal since the 13th century. In 1588 Johann Georg von Hallwyl, later
Bishop of Basel, sold two-thirds of the parishes of Bözberg and
Rein to the town, as well as one third of the lower jurisdiction (
niedere Gerichtsbarkeit) in
Villnachern. Brugg also acquired
Trostburg in the
Wynental from the Hallwyls in 1616. Bern, however, refused to tolerate this gradual expansion of power on the part of its subject territory and ultimately took possession of the titles itself. During an epidemic of
the plague in 1541 around 180 people died, a total of one fourth of the town's residents. By 1611 the population climbed to a peak of 930, reaching a level not seen in two hundred years. The last and severest of plague epidemics struck in September 1667 and lingered until January 1669, during which time 514, over 60 percent of the population, perished. An accident of note occurred on 1 September 1626, when a ship on its way to
Zurzach capsized on the Aare. Over 100 people, included 47 from Brugg, drowned in the incident. It was only in 1840 that the town's population returned to that of 1611.
Artisanry and
craftsmanship were predominant trades at this point in Brugg's history. They catered primarily to the needs of the surrounding area and, along with the increasing expansion of transportation routes, to travelers. This was particularly so after the construction of a road over the
Bözberg Pass between 1773 and 1779. No
guilds of any political significance existed in town at this time. In the 18th century the salt trade grew in importance. The Salt House (
Salzhaus), constructed in 1732, was one of the largest salt depots in the
Swiss Confederation. It supplied not only Bernese Aargau, but the neighboring districts of the
Freie Ämter (Free Bailiwicks) and County of Baden as well. After the beginning of the
French Revolution, demands for equality and rights found a great deal of support in town. As the French proceeded through Swiss territory and the end of Bern's rule drew near at the beginning of 1798, a revolutionary committee seized power. On 12 April 1798 General
Guillaume Marie Anne Brune proclaimed the
Helvetic Republic.
The Nineteenth Century Under the centralized government of the
Helvetic Republic cantons were purely administrative entities, which were in turn divided into districts and municipalities. Brugg thus lost all of its previous privileges and became a district capital in the canton of Aargau. The revolutionary atmosphere that had followed the declaration of the Helvetic Republic dissipated rapidly in 1799. Responsible for this sudden shift was the
War of the Second Coalition, during which the battlefront ran directly through the
Aare Valley and hundreds of
French soldiers were quartered in houses in the town. When the French withdrew from
Switzerland for a number of months in 1802, the supporters of the old order had the upper hand. During the ensuing
Stecklikrieg farmers from the surrounding area plundered the town's armory. Following the
Act of Mediation, signed by
Napoléon Bonaparte on 19 March 1803, Brugg was definitively made a district capital in the newly arranged canton of Aargau. At the beginning of the 19th century Brugg became a stronghold of
Liberalism and its politicians played a leading role in the development of the new canton. In an outward symbol of this break from the past the town's moat was filled in 1811, followed by the destruction of its fortifications between 1829 and 1840. The steep incline of the
Hauptstrasse, the most important thoroughfare through the old town, hindered transportation and was therefore leveled in 1836 under the supervision of the later-renowned engineer
Alois Negrelli. In 1823 Brugg reached an agreement with
Lauffohr to purchase about one-fourth of Lauffohr's territory for the sum of 1,669
Swiss Francs. Four years later, in 1827, the town purchased a tract of land near the Brunnenmühle from
Umiken in the vicinity of the "Vorstadt" and, in return, agreed to abstain from its right to wood and fields in the "Umiker Schachen." The initially positive outlook held by the town when it came to facing the challenges posed by the modern gave way to a more conservative mindset. In turn, the residents of Brugg concentrated primarily on their supposed strengths –
handicraft, artisanry and
trade. At this time the town lacked the political will and commitment necessary for the development of
industry. Brugg's
bourgeoisie was particularly prejudiced against factory workers. This hesitation benefited neighboring communities such as Windisch and
Turgi, where large textile factories emerged. The
Schweizerische Nordostbahn expanded its Zürich-Baden line to Brugg on 29 September 1856, and the cantonal capital of Aarau on 15 May 1858. The expansion of the
railroad initially hurt the town's economy, as the road over the Bözberg Pass was replaced by rail and the businesses serving these travelers lost their clientele. Brugg also found fault with the location of the train station, which was built ten minutes from the town itself. Windisch, on the other hand, complained about the fact that stationed was named for Brugg despite actually being located on its territory. The cause of this conflict was the complex border between the two towns. Brugg had only possessed a thin strip of land, known as the "Burgerziel," around the town's old wall. To the south of this was the "Ehfäde," which was agricultural land located in a special district owned entirely by citizens of Brugg. Although all changes in ownership had to be approved by Brugg, the land was politically and taxably part of Windisch. The town had repeatedly attempted to acquire the territory, but to no avail. In 1856 the cantonal government found that the situation was no longer appropriate and awarded control of the Ehfäde to Windisch. Windisch, however, was in a difficult fiscal position and found itself in need of funds. In 1863 they agreed to sell the land, where the train station was located, to Brugg for 25,000 Swiss Francs. With the construction of additional rail lines Brugg became an important rail junction. The
Bözbergbahn to Basel opened on 2 August 1875, while the
Aargauische Südbahn commissioned its line to
Hendschiken on 1 June 1882. Despite these excellent transit links and the availability of land, industrial development was still slow to take root. In 1864 a printing press opened on the site of the "Effingerhof," the former town residence of the
Habsburgs, which necessitated its demolition. Another prominent building, the
Hallwylerfestung (Hallwyler Fortress), was torn down in 1883 and replaced with a schoolhouse. 1882 saw the development of a new
water system and, beginning in 1896, a
sewage system. The town's military tradition began in 1848 when an engineer corps was deployed to Brugg. It initially exercised in the old town and was accommodated in private homes. Following numerous complaints from residents, the cantonal government decided to convert the grain house (
Kornhaus) into barracks in 1856. Between 1876 and 1878 an exercise grounds was constructed near the "Geissenschachen," followed by a new barracks complex in 1898.
The Twentieth Century The breakthrough in industrial development came about in 1892 with the commissioning of the town's electric plant (in operation until 1952). Within a few years a large number of industrial firms settled in town and Brugg experienced an economic boom. The town, however, soon found itself bumping against its small borders. Meanwhile, between 1898 and 1901, the canton of Aargau forcibly merged twelve smaller communities against their will, as they no longer appeared to be economically viable as independent entities and could therefore not meet their legally prescribed duties and responsibilities. Altenburg found itself among this group. Although the final vote in the town meeting came down firmly against its cessation of independence (42 against versus 2 in favor), the
Grand Council approved of its incorporation into Brugg on 1 January 1901. Brugg thus saw its surface area doubled.
Agriculture had never played a significant role in the town's economy, but various circumstances led to the rise of Brugg as the "Farmers Metropolis" ("
Bauernmetropole") at the start of the 20th century. The "
Landwirtschaftliche Winterschule," a training institute for farmers, was opened in 1887 and moved into a new building on
Baslerstrasse in 1901. The selection of Brugg as the seat of the Swiss Farmers' Union (
Schweizerischer Bauernverband) was purely coincidental: The wife of the Union's husband was from Brugg and did not want to move. The Union itself was therefore relocated to Brugg from Bern. The small farmers secretariat developed over time into one of the largest special interest groups in
Switzerland. Cattle trade also emerged as an important industry following the completion of the railroad. The Market Hall (
Markthalle) evolved into one of the most important national
transshipment hubs by 1930. The cattle market was ultimately shut in 1997 and moved to
Brunegg. Catholics, whose portion of the population rose greatly due to the arrival of factory workers, were allowed to build their own church in 1907, about 400 years after the Reformation and Brugg's subsequent conversion to Protestantism. In 1911 the town's gas work was brought online (closure in 1967) on territory ceded to Brugg from Windisch at no cost. The economic boom came to an end during
World War I, during which many residents were forced to live under the subsistence level. During the National Strike (
Landesstreik) in 1918 strikes impacted all factories in town. The global economic depression also hit Brugg hard, contributing to high unemployment and the closing of a number of businesses. Under the influence of the
Nazi seizure of power in
Germany in 1933, there were multiple demonstrations and counterdemonstrations organized by the
National Front and opposition groups in town, which drew up to 3,000 participants at their peak. From 1935 until 1939 there was an active
NSDAP organization in town, the members of which, though, were all
German laborers. After the constraints and restrictions of
World War II, the town entered another period of rapid economic growth that lasted three decades. The almost-euphoric economic expansion led to plans for disproportionate and oversized development projects, most of which were never realized. For example: The construction of a four-lane highway and the urban renewal and reconfiguration of the area to the south of the old town. An inland water transport port with two basins in Aufeld was also envisioned as part of a plan to make the
High Rhine and the Aare navigable. A contentious political issue during the 1960s was the incorporation of Lauffohr into Brugg. Over two-thirds of the residents of Lauffohr lived in the rapidly growing neighborhood of Au. It bordered directly on Brugg and was separated from the center of Lauffohr by a large, undeveloped swath of land. The residents of Au gravitated towards Brugg and therefore strived for the fusion of the two communities. A referendum was held in September 1962, with 97 individuals voting for, and 64 voting against, the merger of the two municipalities. Brugg, however, was not overly enthusiastic about the possible fusion – 494 voted in favor, while 409 voted against the proposal. The narrow vote and the strong weight placed upon the independence of communities at the time moved the cantonal parliament not to recognize the results of the referendum. In August 1965, all of the seats in the Lauffohr town council were won by supporters of the fusion and the matter remained topical. In April 1969, another round of referendums was held. In Brugg the final tally was 1095 in favor and 397 against, while the result in Lauffohr was much closer – 113 in favor and 100 against. Meanwhile, the cantonal parliament's position on town mergers had changed during the intervening years and it confirmed the results. The fusion ultimately occurred on 1 January 1970. The
1973 oil crisis resulted in structural changes in the economy and the further development of the service sector. Companies such as Georg Fischer AG moved their production facilities, while others such as Traugott Simmen AG (the most-renowned furniture producer in Switzerland in the 1950s and 1960s) were sold off or shut down. The crisis also killed off the high-flying plans of the economic boom. Only the shopping centers
Neumarkt I and
Neumarkt II – opening in 1975 and 1982, respectively – and the "Middle Bypass" ("
Mittlere Umfahrung"), which was completed in 1980 and relieved the old town from traffic, were actually realized.
Twenty-first century Brugg's transition to an important seat of
higher education began at the end of the 1950s. In 1958 the
Landwirtschaftliche Winterschule relocated to
Gränichen and was replaced by the
Frauenschule – the Women's School. The new school trained future instructors of
home economics and
needlework along with prospective
kindergarten teachers. Over time it developed into the
Lehrerseminar (1973), Teaching Institute, and finally the
Pädagogische Fachhochschule (2001), or College of Education – both of which trained future teachers. Meanwhile, the cantonal technical college was opened in neighboring Windisch. Both institutions were then merged into the
Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz, or the
University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland in English. Currently being developed, the project "
Vision Mitte" envisions the construction of a new, unified campus by the year 2010 on the Brugg-Windish border, at which the various departments – currently in different locations – would be based in one location, and which would educate upwards of 2,500 students. Brugg, however, could not use its location to its advantage in the
healthcare sector. The cantonal government announced the closure of the district hospital in September 2003 due to financial constraints. The announcement was met with indignation and resistance, the bulk of which culminated in a demonstration that was attended by over 6,000 people in February 2005 – by far the largest demonstration in Brugg's history. The cantonal parliament authorized the closure regardless and converted the hospital into a nursing home, which resulted in the elimination of 300 jobs. The hospital's closure marked the end of a long tradition of medical care in Brugg, which began in 1450 with the opening of the
Heiliggeistspital, or Holy Spirit hospital. That Brugg and Windisch have grown into one another, along with the close cooperation necessary for the realization of the project "
Vision Mitte", led to calls for the merger of the two communities. Both town councils voted strongly in favor of an initiative to launch negotiations for such a fusion in May 2006. A referendum, however, was launched in opposition to this decision. Voting was held on 24 September 2006, the results of which showed a clear majority of the electorate – 63 percent – opposed to such a merger. There were two reasons, above all, for this opposition: the large difference between the tax rates of the communities and the debt held by the municipality of Windisch. For these reasons discussion of a merger is not likely to arise again before the completion of the "
Vision Mitte" campus. Unaffected by this decision is Brugg's fusion with
Umiken. The town council (
Stadtrat ) ordered a study on a possible merger, the results of which were presented in March 2007 and were positively received. The resident's council (
Einwohnerrat ) approved the merger agreement on 27 July 2008. A referendum in favor passed on 28 September 2008 in both Brugg – with 88.6 voting "yes" (1,748 to 224) – and Umiken – with 85.7 percent voting yes (330 to 55). The merger was scheduled to occur on 1 January 2010. ==Points of interest==