Langenthal

From 1640, Langenthal became a centre of linen canvas production, exporting to France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. In 1704, the town became the seat of the Oberaargau Canvas Dealers' Guild, uniting weavers, shopkeepers, and traders. The Marktgasse was paved in 1730 and became the commercial spine of the town. By 1756, the linen trade had brought such prosperity that Langenthal had grown to 189 households, three taverns, and a new warehouse built in 1748.

The Porzellanfabrik Langenthal was founded on 4 July 1906 by entrepreneur Arnold Spychiger with 500,000 Swiss francs in capital. Switzerland had no kaolin deposits, so raw materials were imported from the Karlsbad region (now Czechia), and 35 of the initial 87 workers were recruited from Bohemia. The factory's peak years were 1950-1970, employing up to 950 workers in 1964. For decades, 'Langenthal' porcelain was found in virtually every Swiss household, hotel, and restaurant. Porcelain production ceased in 1998 due to foreign competition.

The Langete river gave Langenthal its name but was also its greatest natural threat. Before modern flood control, the inner-city streets with their elevated pavements acted as overflow channels, flooding on average twice yearly. The catastrophic floods of 1975 caused property damage of at least 60 million Swiss francs. In response, a 7,531-metre relief tunnel was built between 1988 and 1991, capable of diverting up to 58 cubic metres per second from below Madiswil directly into the Aare at Bannwil.

In 1194, the Freiherr of Langenstein founded St. Urban's Abbey, a Cistercian monastery that brought agricultural innovation to the Oberaargau. The monks constructed the elaborate Waessermatten irrigation system of ditches and channels throughout the Langete valley, dating back to the 13th century. This ingenious meadow irrigation system has been practised for roughly a thousand years and is recognized as a nationally significant cultural landscape. The surrounding Oberaargau features rolling hills and the lush water meadows created by the monks' work.

The Choufhuesi (Kaufhaus) in Langenthal was originally built in 1613 as a market hall, then reconstructed between 1790 and 1808 by architect Joseph Purtschert as a striking late-Baroque building with a distinctive clock tower. It contained a market hall, restaurant, cloth hall, guard room, meeting rooms, a prison, and a library -- a true civic multipurpose building. Since 1992, it has housed the Kunsthaus Langenthal, which presents up to eight temporary exhibitions of contemporary art per year.

SC Langenthal was founded in 1946 and plays at the Eishalle Schoren, built in 1961 and roofed in 1980, with a capacity of approximately 4,300 spectators. The club won three Swiss League championships in 2012, 2017, and 2019, becoming one of the most successful second-tier clubs in Swiss hockey. Following the 2022-23 season, the club voluntarily withdrew from professional hockey due to financial constraints and now competes in the MyHockey League (third tier). Ice hockey remains deeply embedded in Langenthal's identity.

The Swiss Central Railway reached Langenthal in 1857 on the Olten-Bern line, connecting the town to the main east-west axis across the Swiss Plateau. The station became a true junction with additional lines: the Langenthal-Huttwil line to the Emmental, the metre-gauge Langenthal-Oensingen line (opened 26 October 1907), and the Langenthal-Melchnau line (opened 6 October 1917). These railways transformed Langenthal from a quiet market town into an industrial hub, enabling the growth of textile factories, the porcelain works, and machine manufacturers.

In the High Middle Ages (12th-15th centuries), three castles dominated the Oberaargau: Gruenenberg, Schnabelburg, and Langenstein. In 1194, the Freiherr of Langenstein founded St. Urban's Abbey, a Cistercian monastery. After the extinction of the Langenstein family in 1212, the abbey inherited additional lands. The lords of Gruenenberg rose to prominence, and in 1279 the abbey was forced to cede the low court and a fortified house in Langenthal to the Freiherr of Gruenenberg as a fief. The monks quietly outlasted all three noble families.