{{Infobox Swiss town | subject_name = Zofingen | image_photo = Zofingen Thut-Platz.jpg | municipality_type = city | imagepath_flag = CHE Zofingen Flag.svg | imagepath_coa = Wappen Zofingen AG.svg | canton = Aargau | iso-code-region = CH-AG | district = [[Zofingen (district)|Zofingen]] |coordinates = {{coord|47|17|N|7|56|E|display=inline,title}} | postal_code = 4800 | municipality_code = 4289 | area = 11.09 | elevation = 439|elevation_description= | population = 10534|populationof = December 2006 | popofyear = 2006 | website = www.zofingen.ch | mayor = André Kirchhofer |mayor_asof=2026|mayor_party=The Liberals (Switzerland) | mayor_title = Stadtammann|list_of_mayors = List of mayors of Zofingen | places = | demonym = | neighboring_municipalities= [[Bottenwil]], [[Brittnau]], [[Oftringen]], [[Safenwil]], [[Strengelbach]], [[Uerkheim]], [[Wikon]] (LU) | twintowns = |}}
'''Zofingen''' ({{langx|fr|Zofingue}}) is a city in the canton of [[Aargau]] in [[Switzerland]]. It is the capital of the [[district of Zofingen]]. Zofingen is a walled city and home to a medieval monastic settlement.
==History== [[File:ETH-BIB-Zofingen-LBS H1-018502.tif|thumb|left|Aerial view (1955)]] In ancient times Zofingen was a settlement of the Celtic Helvetii. In later times the Romans built a manor. The Alemanni settled in the 6th century and formed one of the oldest parishes in Aargau. In the 11th century the [[House of Frohburg]] founded a canons monastery. The town was founded in 1201 by the counts of Frohburg. 1231 was the first written mention of Zofingen, which in 1299 came into the possession of the Habsburgs. In 1415 the Bernese conquered the city and in 1528 they introduced the Reformation. Since 1803 Zofingen has belonged to the canton of Aargau and has become a regional center. The neighboring Mühlethal was incorporated in 2002.
==Geography== [[File:Zofingen.jpg|thumb|left|Zofingen]] Zofingen has an area, {{as of|2009|lc=on}}, of {{convert|11.09|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}. Of this area, {{convert|2.08|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 18.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while {{convert|5.25|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 47.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, {{convert|3.67|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 33.1% is settled (buildings or roads), {{convert|0.07|km2|acre|abbr=on}} or 0.6% is either rivers or lakes.<ref name=BFS_land>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/02/03/blank/data/gemeindedaten.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics] 2009 data {{in lang|de}} accessed 25 March 2010</ref>
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 17.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 7.0%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 3.1%. Out of the forested land, 46.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 4.3% is used for growing crops and 12.2% is pastures, while 2.3% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.<ref name=BFS_land/>
The municipality of [[Uerkheim]] is considering a merger on 1 January 2014 into Zofingen.<ref name=Fusion>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/infothek/nomenklaturen/blank/blank/gem_liste/03.html Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz] published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office {{in lang|de}} accessed 14 January 2010</ref>
==Coat of arms== The [[blazon]] of the municipal [[coat of arms]] is ''Barry of Four Gules and Argent.''<ref>[https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ch-ag209.html Flags of the World.com] accessed 23-December-2020</ref>
==Demographics== Zofingen has a population ({{as of|{{Swiss populations YM|CH-AG}}|lc=on}}) of {{Swiss populations|CH-AG|4289}}.{{Swiss populations ref|CH-AG}} {{as of|2009|June}}, 15.8% of the population are foreign nationals.<ref name=AG_pop>[http://www.ag.ch/staag/ Statistical Department of Canton Aargau -Bereich 01 -Bevölkerung] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222045014/http://www.ag.ch/staag/ |date=2012-02-22 }} {{in lang|de}} accessed 20 January 2010</ref> Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 14.7%. Most of the population ({{as of|2000|lc=on}}) speaks [[German language|German]] (88.9%), with [[Italian language|Italian]] being second most common ( 3.4%) and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] being third ( 1.4%).<ref name=SFSO>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/en/index/regionen/02/key.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office] accessed 15-June-2010</ref>
The age distribution, {{as of|2008|lc=on}}, in Zofingen is; 895 children or 8.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,010 teenagers or 9.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,525 people or 14.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,607 people or 15.0% are between 30 and 39, 1,678 people or 15.7% are between 40 and 49, and 1,381 people or 12.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,095 people or 10.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 894 people or 8.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 509 people or 4.8% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 93 people or 0.9% who are 90 and older.<ref name=structure>[http://www.ag.ch/staag/ Statistical Department of Canton Aargau -Bevölkerungsdaten für den Kanton Aargau und die Gemeinden (Archiv)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222045014/http://www.ag.ch/staag/ |date=2012-02-22 }} {{in lang|de}} accessed 20 January 2010</ref>
The historical population is given in the following table:<ref name=structure/>
==Housing== {{Historical populations |align=left | 1975 | 8887 | 1980 | 8758 | 1990 | 8653 | 2000 | 8675 |2008|10,687|2020|12,031}}
{{as of|2000}}, there were 554 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 2,318 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 1,338 homes with 5 or more persons in the household.<ref name=zahlen/> {{as of|2000}}, there were 4,328 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household.<ref name=SFSO/> {{as of|2008|alt=In 2008}} there were 1,318 single family homes (or 25.0% of the total) out of a total of 5,269 homes and apartments.<ref name=AG_data>[http://www.ag.ch/staag/ Statistical Department of Canton Aargau] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222045014/http://www.ag.ch/staag/ |date=2012-02-22 }} {{in lang|de}} accessed 20 January 2010</ref> There were a total of 54 empty apartments for a 1.0% vacancy rate.<ref name="AG_data"/> {{as of|2007}}, the construction rate of new housing units was 6.5 new units per 1000 residents.<ref name=SFSO/>
{{as of|2003}} the average price to rent an average apartment in Zofingen was 1063.57 [[Swiss franc]]s (CHF) per month (US$850, £480, €680 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 592.19 CHF (US$470, £270, €380), a two-room apartment was about 787.80 CHF (US$630, £350, €500), a three-room apartment was about 937.35 CHF (US$750, £420, €600) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1694.74 CHF (US$1360, £760, €1080). The average apartment price in Zofingen was 95.3% of the national average of 1116 CHF.<ref name=BFS_rent>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/05/06/blank/key/einfuehrung.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Rental prices] 2003 data {{in lang|de}} accessed 26 May 2010</ref>
==Politics== In the [[2007 Swiss federal election|2007 federal election]] the most popular party was the [[Swiss People's Party|SVP]] which received 27.78% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|SP]] (23.15%), the [[Free Democratic Party of Switzerland|FDP]] (17.17%) and the [[Green Party of Switzerland|Green Party]] (9.73%). In the federal election, a total of 3,746 votes were cast, and the [[voter turnout]] was 48.7%.<ref>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/02/blank/data/04/03.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office, ''Nationalratswahlen 2007: Stärke der Parteien und Wahlbeteiligung, nach Gemeinden/Bezirk/Canton''] {{in lang|de}} accessed 28 May 2010</ref>
===Mayors of Zofingen=== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! In office ! ''Stadtammann'' ! Party ! Born/died ! Notes |- |1914–1930 || [[Hans Suter]] || FDP || (1860–1930) || |- |1930–1947 || [[Hans Bertschi]] || FDP || || |- |1948–1953 || [[Adolf Lerch]] || FDP || || |- |1954–1973 || [[Walther Leber]] || FDP || || |- |1974–1992 || [[Willy Loretan]] || FDP || || |- |1992–2006 || [[Urs Locher]] || FDP || || |- |2006-2021 || [[Hans-Ruedi Hottiger]] || (independent) || (born 1953) || |- |2022-2025 || [[Christiane Guyer]] || (Grüne) || (born 1963) || |- |2026-|| André Kirchhofer || (FDP) |}
==Heritage sites of national significance== There are ten buildings or sites that are listed as Swiss [[Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance|heritage sites of national significance]]. The oldest is the [[Switzerland in the Roman era|Roman era]] farm house with [[mosaic]] floors at ''Hirzeberg''. The former [[Armory (military)|armory]] at General-Guisan-Strasse 12 and the former [[Quarantine]] house ({{langx|de|Siechenhaus}}) at Aarburgerstrasse 21 are also on the list. Three educational buildings; the municipal Schoolhouse at General-Guisan-Strasse 14, the Museum at General-Guisan-Strasse 18 and the city library ({{langx|de|Stadtbibliothek Zofingen}}) at Hintere Hauptgasse 20, are on the list. The rest of the list includes; ''Heiternplatz'' (Heitern plaza), the small [[monastery]] ({{langx|de|Klösterli}}) at Klösterligasse 2, The City Hall Building at Rathausgasse 4 and a dairy farm at Hintere Hauptstrasse 9, 14.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch/internet/bs/de/home/themen/kgs/kgs_inventar/a-objekte.html|title=Kantonsliste A-Objekte: Aargau|year=2009|work=KGS Inventar|publisher=Federal Office of Civil Protection|language=de|access-date=28 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628110559/http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch/internet/bs/de/home/themen/kgs/kgs_inventar/a-objekte.html|archive-date=28 June 2010}}</ref>
The entire village of Zofingen is designated as part of the [[Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites]].<ref>[http://www.isos.ch/en/nationale/index.asp ISOS site] accessed 15-June-2010</ref>
<gallery> File:Zofingen Gemeindeschule.jpg|Municipal Schoolhouse in 1890 File:Zofingen 1715.jpg|Zofingen in 1715 showing the compact, walled city </gallery>
==Economy== [[File:Zofingen-Ringier.jpg|thumb|Headquarters of Ringier AG]] Zofingen is home to several large companies. These include [[Ringier]] AG, one of the largest media corporations, [[Siegfried Ltd]], a manufacturer for the pharmaceutical industry, and [[Muller Martini]], a global company that manufactures print finishing systems.<ref>[http://www.zofingen.ch/?rub=8 Zofingen city website, Industry section] {{in lang|de}} accessed 15 June 2010</ref>
{{as of|2007|In 2007}}, Zofingen had an unemployment rate of 3.19%. {{as of|2005}}, there were 108 people employed in the [[Primary sector of the economy|primary economic sector]] and about 33 businesses involved in this sector. 4,236 people are employed in the [[Secondary sector of the economy|secondary sector]] and there are 121 businesses in this sector. 4,514 people are employed in the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]], with 565 businesses in this sector.<ref name=SFSO/>
{{as of|2000|alt=In 2000}} there were 4,377 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 2,352 or about 53.7% of the residents worked outside Zofingen while 6,538 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 8,563 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality.<ref>[http://www.ag.ch/staag/ Statistical Department of Canton Aargau-Bereich 11 Verkehr und Nachrichtenwesen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222045014/http://www.ag.ch/staag/ |date=2012-02-22 }} {{in lang|de}} accessed 21 January 2010</ref> Of the working population, 14.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 45.3% used a private car.<ref name=SFSO/>
==Religion== [[File:Zofingen Stiftskirche.jpg|thumb|upright|Zofingen downtown church]] From the {{as of|2000|alt=2000 census}}, 2,879 or 30.5% were [[Roman Catholic]], while 4,659 or 49.4% belonged to the [[Swiss Reformed Church]]. Of the rest of the population, there were 32 individuals (or about 0.34% of the population) who belonged to the [[Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland|Christian Catholic]] faith.<ref name=zahlen>[http://www.ag.ch/staag/ Statistical Department of Canton Aargau - Aargauer Zahlen 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222045014/http://www.ag.ch/staag/ |date=2012-02-22 }} {{in lang|de}} accessed 20 January 2010</ref>
==Education== In Zofingen about 76.2% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory [[Education in Switzerland#Secondary|upper secondary education]] or additional higher education (either university or a ''[[Fachhochschule]]'').<ref name=SFSO/> Of the school age population ({{as of|2009|alt=in the 2008/2009 school year}}), there are 619 students attending [[Education in Switzerland#Primary|primary school]], there are 255 students attending secondary school, there are 378 students attending [[Education in Switzerland#Tertiary|tertiary or university level schooling]] in the municipality.<ref name=zahlen/>
Zofingen is home to 2 libraries. These libraries include; the Stadtbibliothek Zofingen and the ''Bildungszentrum Zofingen''. There was a combined total ({{as of|2008|lc=on}}) of 158,351 books or other media in the libraries, and in the same year a total of 222,191 items were loaned out.<ref>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/16/02/02/data.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office, list of libraries] {{in lang|de}} accessed 14 May 2010</ref>
==Sports== [[SC Zofingen]] is the city's football club.
For years, Zofingen hosts the World Championships Duathlon Long Distance.
== Notable people == [[File:Arnold Sutermeister, 11th Indiana Battery (Union).jpg|140px|thumb|Arnold Sutermeister, ca. 1890]] [[File:Michael Ringier.jpeg|140px|thumb|Michael Ringier, 2011]] * [[Johann Lauffer]] (1752–1833) Curaçaoan gouvernor and businessman<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.delpher.nl/nl/boeken/view?identifier=MMKB18D:058079000:00021&query=Johann+Rudolf+Lauffer&coll=boeken&rowid=2 |title=Noodlotsdagen |last1=Meeteren| first1=N. van |year=1944 |publisher=De Stad N.V.|location=Willemstad|language=nl|page=13|access-date=10 February 2022}}</ref> * [[Rudolf Sutermeister]] (1802 – 1868 in Zofingen) a Swiss medical doctor for the poor, a businessman, a manufacturer, an early socialist and a socio-political writer * [[Maria Gobat]] (1813 in Zofingen – August 1, 1879), Swiss missionary * [[Friedrich Goll]] (1829 in Zofingen – 1903) a Swiss [[neuroanatomist]] * [[Arnold Sutermeister]] (1830 in Zofingen – 1907) a Swiss-born Captain in the US Civil War where he commanded an artillery battery in the Western Theater * [[Paul Niggli]] (1888 in Zofingen – 1953) a Swiss crystallographer, leader in the field of [[X-ray crystallography]] * [[Hans Senn]] (1918 in Zofingen – 2007) a general officer of the [[Swiss Army]] * [[Eva Aeppli]] (1925 in Zofingen – 2015) a Swiss artist. * [[Erich von Däniken]] (born 1935 in Zofingen - 2026) a Swiss author of several books which claim extraterrestrial influence on early human culture * [[Josef Imbach (theologian)|Josef Imbach]] (born 1945 in Zofingen) a controversial Swiss Catholic theologian and Franciscan friar * [[Michael Ringier]] (born 1949 in Zofingen) a Swiss publisher * [[Vincenzo Aiutino]] (born 1970 in Zofingen) a Swiss-born French serial killer ; Sport * [[Sandra Cariboni]] (born 1963 in Zofingen) a Swiss former competitive figure skater in ladies' singles, competed in the [[1984 Winter Olympics]] * [[Debbie Marti]] (born 1968 in Zofingen) a former British high jumper, represented GB at the [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992]] and [[1996 Summer Olympics]] * [[Andrea Fattizzo]] (born 1975 in Zofingen) a retired Italian footballer
==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links== {{commons category|Zofingen}} *http://www.zofingen.ch *http://www.zofingen2008.ch {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914143216/http://zofingen2008.ch/ |date=2008-09-14 }}
{{Municipalities of the district of Zofingen}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Zofingen| ]] [[Category:Cities in Switzerland]] [[Category:Municipalities of Aargau]] [[Category:1201 establishments in Europe]] [[Category:Populated places established in the 13th century]] [[Category:Cultural property of national significance in Aargau]]