Rüfenach

Infobox Swiss town
subject_name = Rüfenach
municipality_name = Rüfenach
municipality_type = municipality
imagepath_coa = Ruefenach-blason.png|pixel_coa=

languages = German
canton = Aargau
iso-code-region = CH-AG
district = Brugg
lat_d=47|lat_m=31|lat_NS=N|long_d=8|long_m=13|long_EW=E
postal_code = 5235
municipality_code = 4112
area = 4.17
elevation = 374|elevation_description=
population = 804|populationof = December 2006 | popofyear = 2006
website = www.ruefenach.ch
mayor = |mayor_asof=|mayor_party=
mayor_title = |list_of_mayors =
places = Rüfenach, Hinterrein, Vorderrein
demonym =
neighboring_municipalities= Brugg, Remigen, Riniken, Villigen
twintowns = |

Rüfenach is a municipality in the district of Brugg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.

Geography

The municipality lies at the foot of the Bruggerberg and the Reinerberg, the southeast foothills of the Jura Mountains.

It consists of three villages, Rüfenach, Hinterrein, and Vorderrein. The latter two were part of an independent municipality called Rein until 1898.. Rüfenach lies furthest west in the middle of a flat plain. Hinterrein is slightly higher and lies in the middle. Vorderrein is to the east on a marked hill. The east side of this hill falls sharply to the Aare. The difference in altitude is about 70 m.

The area of the municipality is about 417 hectars, 172 of which are forested and 38 built up. The highest point, the Reinerberg, lies at 522 m in altitude, and the lowest in Vorderrein on the Aare at 325 m.

Neighboring municipalities are Villigen to the north and northeast, Brugg to the southeast, Riniken to the southwest, and Remigen to the northwest.

History

Since the 8th century, Rein was the center of a court, that belonged to the cloister of Murbach in Alsace. It also included Rüfenach, Lauffohr, Remigen, Stilli, and Villigen.

In the 13th century, the Habsburgs exerted their power in the region. King Rudolph I of Habsburg bought Rein in 1291. In 1345, Queen Agnes of Hungary gave Rein to the cloister of Wittichen im Kinzigtal in the Black Forest.

When the city of Bern conquered the area west of the Aare in 1460, the rights of the cloister were not affected. However, the arrival of the Reformation in 1528 did have a great effect. In 1544, the cloister sold Rein to Count Hartmann von Hallwyl. Between 1588 and 1599, the city of Brugg gained control of two thirds of the territory, and the city of Bern the other third.

In March of 1798, conquered Switzerland and declared the "Helvetic Republic". Rein became part of the new canton of Aargau. In 1799, the front line between the two coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars ran right down the center of the valley of the Aare. There were many French military camps in the region. The villagers suffered greatly from requisitions and plundering.

In 1803, Rein was dissolved, and the single villages were made independent municipalities. About a hundred years later, the canton actively promoted a policy of fusion, and Rein was combined with Rüfenach. The people of Rein resisted, but with no success. Although they took the case to the highest court, the two municipalities were united on January 1, 1898.

Until well into the 20th century, Rüfenach and Rein remained agricultural villages. In the 1960s, much construction was undertaken, and the population more than doubled.

Architecture

The church that was once the central point of the municipality dates from the 9th century and has romanesque and gothic elements. It had to be razed in 1863 because it was no longer safe. In its place, a new church was built in 1864 designed by the Zürich architect, Johann Kaspar Wolf.

In 1814 the textile industrialist Johann Heinrich Meyer founded an orphanage and poorhouse. The building, which is in classical style, became part of the cantonal psychiatric hospital in 1947.

Population

On December 31, 2005, the municipality had 800 inhabitants, of which 7 percent were non-Swiss. At the time of the 2000 census, 54.6 percent were protestant, 28.9 percent Catholic, and 1.4 Moslem. About 2 claimed no religion. About 94.9 percent of the population claimed German as their native language, 1.1 percent each claimed Albanian and Portuguese.

Economy

The municipality has about 230 jobs, of which 49 percent are in agriculture, 3 percent in retail, 48 percent in the service sector. Most of the workers in the municipality commute to Brugg or other towns in the area.

Transportation

The main highway from Stilli to Remigen and Laufenburg runs about 100 m north of the municipality. The post bus line from Brugg to Mönthal provides it with public transportation.

Notable inhabitants

* Paul Haller, author (1882-1920)

References