Bremgarten Medieval Old Town

Bremgarten is one of the best-preserved small medieval towns in Switzerland, and its setting is part of the reason. The old town occupies a narrow peninsula formed by a tight bend of the river Reuss, so water surrounds it on three sides and the town is reached by bridges. This natural moat explains why the settlement was founded here in the Middle Ages, in the thirteenth century, under the rule of the counts of Habsburg, and why it kept its shape for so long. Today it is in the canton of Aargau, a short distance from Zürich.

The old town is divided into an upper part and a lower part, linked by lanes that climb and descend the slope. The upper town has the main street, the Marktgasse, lined with tall houses with arcades and painted or carved façades, and small shops and cafés. The lower town lies closer to the river, with its churches and former convent buildings, so the two halves have quite different atmospheres. A small castle, the Schlössli, adds a note of the aristocratic past. Walking through the lanes you come across old gates, fountains and towers, and the plan has hardly changed for centuries.

The skyline is defined by the remains of the town wall, which includes towers with names such as the Hexenturm and the Hermannsturm. Bremgarten is also known for its covered wooden bridge across the Reuss, a long, low structure that leads into the lower town and forms the best-known image of the place. From the bridge you look down on the green water, which can be fast after rain, and across to the old houses on the opposite bank. The reformer Heinrich Bullinger, who succeeded Zwingli as leader of the Zürich church, was born in Bremgarten in 1504, and the town retains a link to that history.

The town museum, located on Kornhausplatz, covers local history and daily life and is a good way to understand how the town developed, with objects, documents and exhibits that cover trades, religion and the river. Opening hours are limited, usually the weekend afternoons, so check before you go. Nearby, riverside paths along the Reuss allow walks of varying length in both directions, passing through meadows and woods, and in summer the river is used for swimming and boating by those who know the current.

Bremgarten suits walkers, photographers, history readers and families, and it is easy to reach from Zürich by train and bus, or by car, with parking at the edges of the old town. Because the old town is small, a visit takes about an hour or two, and it can be extended by a walk along the river or a meal in one of the restaurants on the Marktgasse. Early morning and late afternoon are the quietest times, and the light on the bridge and the old houses is best around sunset.