The earliest known settlements in Wohlen date from the late
Hallstatt era (600-500 BC). This settlement left two clusters of
burial mounds in
Hohbühl and
Häslerhau. While the graves were discovered and excavated in 1925–1930, the location of the settlement is still unknown. During the
Roman era two large estates were built at Oberdorf and the Brünishalde. Both estates date from about 50 AD and supported a number of fields. The harvested grain was probably for the maintenance of the Roman troops at the military camp
Vindonissa. Of the estates all that remains is masonry, tile, mosaic pieces and coins, as well as some foundations at
Häslerhau. During the migration of the
Alemanni in the 5th century into the area, they built their own settlements to the right of the
Bünz in Chappele, Steingasse, Kirche and along the upper main street as well as along the left bank of the
Bünz in Wil. The local
gallic population merged slowly with the Germanic Alemanni. With the migration of the Germanic tribe, the place name became Wohlen. The name is first mentioned in 1178/79 as
Vuolon / Volen, and goes back to the
Old High German Walh, which means
Vlachs or
romanus, a term for the romanized locals. So, the
Alemannic name of
Vuolon / Volen referred to the earlier inhabitants. One of the reasons for the slow integration of the two populations was the lack of an ecclesiastical center. Wohlen had no
parish church, but was split between three
parishes,
Niederwil,
Göslikon and
Villmergen. Shortly after 1100, an ancestor of the Lords of Volen donated a small church to the village. This church served until 1518 but didn't include the whole population. The lords of Volen (1185–1425) were the largest landowners in the village and the only local family who made the leap from the peasantry into the
Habsburg military nobility. Even among the general population, there were "rich" with more fields, meadows, and cattle and the poor who worked on the neighbor's fields. In the wake of the
Black Plague in 1350, refugees from surrounding areas settled in plague emptied farmhouses in Wohlen, leading to an end of the separate populations in the village. In 1830, it was the site of a meeting to attempt to reform the cantonal
constitution. Following a disagreement on whether to use force or diplomacy to get the government to reform, Johann Heinrich Fischer left Wohlen for
Merenschwand to raise a rebel militia. Two days later, the militia assembled near Wohlen and marched on
Aarau. Following a bloodless invasion of Aarau, known as the
Freiämtersturm, the government agreed to every demand of the rebels. ==Geography==