Auenstein

Geschichte

Auenstein is a municipality in the district of Brugg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.It is located about 3km north west of Lenzburg.GeographyThe village lies between the north bank of the Aare river and the south slope of the Mount Gislifluh (elev. 772m), a southern part of the Jura mountains. The partially very steep slope is mostly forested, but exhibits numerous forest meadows.Auenstein has an area, of 5.7km2. Of this area, 31% is used for agricultural purposes, while 46.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 17.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (4.9%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).Neighboring municipalities are Oberflachs and Veltheim to the north, Möriken-Wildegg to the east, Rupperswil to the south, Biberstein to the west, and Thalheim to the northwest. It consists of the village of Auenstein and the hamlets of Fahr. Modern housing developments are north-east and north-west of the original village.HistoryThe village was mentioned for the first time in 1212 as Gowenstein. The name probably comes from the small Castle Auenstein on the river Aare, which was built in about 1200 (probably by the lords of Gowenstein). The castle, which was in the possession of the Lords of Rinach until the early 14th century, was burnt down by the Bernese in 1389 as part of the war between the Old Swiss Confederacy and the Habsburgs. The Swiss Confederacy conquered Aargau in 1415. Auenstein belonged to the Bern region (the so-called Bernese Aargau), but the town did not belong to the city itself, rather to some wealthy Bernese families. The reformation occurred in 1528, after which time the owner of the village changed often.