Gontenschwil

Coat of arms

Gontenschwil

Location of Gontenschwil

Coordinates: 47°16′N 8°9′E / 47.267°N 8.150°ECoordinates: 47°16′N 8°9′E / 47.267°N 8.150°E

Country

Area

• Total

9.74 km² (3.76 sq mi)

Elevation

531 m (1,742 ft)

Population (Dec 2015)

• Total

2,078

• Density

210/km² (550/sq mi)

Postal code

5728

SFOS number

4135

Surrounded by

Leimbach, Oberkulm, Pfeffikon (LU), Reinach, Rickenbach (LU), Schmiedrued, Zetzwil

Website

www.gontenschwil.ch
SFSO statistics

Gontenschwil is a municipality in the district of Kulm in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.

Gontenschwil is first mentioned in 1173 as Gundoltswilre in a grant to the monastery at Beromünster. In 1236, ownership of part of village went to Engelberg Abbey, in 1266 it transferred to the Monastery of St. Leonhard in Basel, and in 1274 to the Knights of Malta. The secular owners of the village included the Counts of Lenzburg, then in 1173 the Counts of Kyburg, in 1273 the Kyburg rights transferred to the Habsburgs. The village was ruled by the Habsburg vassals, the Counts of Reinach. By this time, the local castle is no longer mentioned. The rights to low justice remained in the hands of wealthy citizens of Gontenschwil. After the conquest of the Aargau by Bern in 1415, Gontenschwil formed its own court within the district (German: Oberamt) of Lenzburg.

The church, first mentioned in 1340, was a daughter church to the parish church in nearby Pfeffikon. After a long struggle (1488–98) between Bern and Lucerne over the Protestant Reformation, the village became an independent, Reformed parish. The currently existing church was built in 1622.

Economically, apart from agriculture, there are a number of small businesses. In 1640 the Schwarzenberg mineral water spring was discovered. This spring flourished from the 19th century until the First World War and was used until 1990 for the production of bottled water. In the 18th and 19th centuries the cotton spinning and weaving industries dominated. These large industries meant that Gontenschwil had the second largest population in the Kulm district. After the collapse of the mid-19th century due to a lack of hydroelectric power, tobacco processing partly replaced the cotton industry. In 1900, in a disused water mill, an aluminum foundry was built. This developed into the Menziken aluminum factory. Other local factories produce washing machines and foam and plastic products. The clinic for addicts has been in Hasel since 1973.

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Wikipedia