Aarau

Aarau's old town has approximately 90 buildings with richly painted eaves called Dachhimmel (literally 'roof heavens') -- the painted undersides of protruding roof eaves. This tradition dates to the 16th century, when prosperous citizens decorated their homes with geometric patterns, floral designs, and allegorical scenes. The subject matter often indicated the trade carried out under that roof. The finest concentration is found along the Rathausgasse. Aarau is nicknamed 'Stadt der schoenen Giebel' (City of Beautiful Gables).

In autumn 1895, 16-year-old Albert Einstein enrolled at the Alte Kantonsschule Aarau after failing the entrance exam for Zurich's Polytechnikum. He boarded with Dr. Jost Winteler and his family at Laurenzenvorstadt 119. During his year in Aarau, Einstein asked himself: 'If one chases a light wave at the speed of light, one would have a time-independent wave field ahead of oneself. But such a thing does not seem to exist!' He later called this his 'first childlike thought experiment about special relativity' -- the 'Aarau Question'. His 1896 Matura exam results were the highest in his class.

On 22 March 1798, Aarau was declared the provisional capital of the new Helvetic Republic after the Old Swiss Confederacy collapsed following the French victory at the Battle of Grauholz near Bern. On 12 April 1798, the National Assembly held its inaugural session in the Aarau Rathaus. The executive Directorate governed from the Haus zum Schlossgarten. Aarau was chosen for its central location and its citizens' revolutionary enthusiasm. However, the city's infrastructure proved inadequate, and by September 1798 the capital moved to Lucerne -- ending Aarau's reign after roughly five months.

The Meyersche Stollen is a network of underground tunnels beneath Aarau built by industrialist Johann Rudolf Meyer (1768-1825). After studying mining technology at Goettingen and Freiberg, Meyer devised a plan to collect groundwater via tunnels since surface water rights along the Aare were already allocated. Starting around 1800, approximately 2,000 metres of tunnels were excavated. At the heart of the system stood a massive underground wooden waterwheel 9.75 metres in diameter, powering silk ribbon looms above -- yet generating only 3-4 horsepower. Meyer never obtained official permission, keeping the project largely secret. The tunnels were rediscovered by archaeologists in the 1990s.

The Oberer Turm (Upper Tower) in Aarau was built around 1250 and stands approximately 62 meters high with walls about 2 meters thick at the base. Originally the main gate tower at the city's highest point, it was part of a fortification system including three other towers. In 1532, clockmaker Hans Lutherer installed the iron clockwork. The lower floors served as prison cells until 1890. In 1966, Aarau-born artist Felix Hoffmann (1911-1975) painted a large exterior mural depicting a Dance of Death (Totentanz). The tower offers a 144-step climb to panoramic views.

The Dachhimmel tradition in Aarau's old town dates to the 16th century. The paintings display geometric patterns, floral designs, and allegorical scenes -- the subject matter often indicated the trade carried out under that roof. In the pious 17th and 18th centuries, religious and biblical motifs became popular. Each Dachhimmel was a visible sign of the owner's prosperity and civic pride -- a unique form of architectural self-expression found nowhere else in Switzerland at this density. The majority of surviving paintings date from 20th-century restorations, though older originals occasionally emerge during facade renovations.

Johann Rudolf Meyer the Elder (1739-1813), a wealthy Aarau silk manufacturer, financed the Atlas Suisse (Meyer-Weiss Atlas) -- the first scientifically surveyed map covering all of Switzerland. He engaged geometer Johann Heinrich Weiss of Strasbourg, with baseline measurements by Johann Georg Tralles. The 16-sheet atlas was published between 1796 and 1802 and remained the most accurate map of Switzerland until the Dufour Map of 1864. His sons Johann Rudolf Meyer (1768-1825) and Hieronymus Meyer organised the first ascent of the Jungfrau (4,158 m) on 3 August 1811.

Aarau's Stadtkirche (Reformed City Church) is a Late Gothic three-aisled basilica built between 1471 and 1478, constructed from stone blocks sourced from the demolished Goesgen Castle. During the Reformation of 1528, twelve altars and religious images were destroyed. In the 20th century, the choir received six acclaimed stained-glass windows by Aarau-born artist Felix Hoffmann (1911-1975) -- three created 1940-1943 and installed in 1948, and three more added in 1953. The Stadtkirche is classified as a Swiss cultural asset of national significance.