The area of the Freiamt in canton Aargau has always had a distinct identity somewhat different from the rest of the canton. Originally, it was taken from the Habsburgs by the Swiss Confederation, and only added to Aargau when that canton was set up under the treaty with Napoleon in 1803. The people of the Freiamt resisted incorporation into Aargau, and tensions between the local population continued until the establishment of the first all-Swiss constitution in 1848.
So it is against this background that the modern Freiamt sees itself as a region within Aargau. I first came across the Freiamt when I was walking the final stages of the Aargauer Weg (take a look at my blog post from October 17th). As well as the signs for the Aargauer Weg, I kept seeing signs for the Freiaemterweg. My curiosity was aroused, and I looked to find out more.
The Freiaemterweg is basically a network of routes rather than a single route. There is the Bergroute (mountain route) which runs almost north-south on the western edge of the Freiamt. The Talroute (valley route) runs through the middle of the Freiamt, again almost on a north-south axis. And finally the Ostroute (eastern route) is a shorter trail along the eastern fringes of the region.
For this walk, I decided to take the Talroute, starting at the northern end in Othmarsingen and going as far as Bremgarten.
Starting out from Othmarsingen, the route soon leaves the town and goes into the nearby hills. It wanders through the forests to reach the highest point at Meiegruen tower before descending again to reach Haegglingen. It is at this point that the Freaemterweg leaves the standard walking train and takes to the heights again , taking a circuitous route to reach Anglikon. From there it follows the main road into Wohlen. I have to say that this part of the rotue is not especially interesting. Yes, there are forests and fields, but these are everywhere in northern Switzerland. The most interesting thing to be seen in these forest are the old boundary markers for the canton of Bern. Bern claimed some the Freiamt after it was taken from the Habsburgs. Other than that, there is nothing very special.
Within Wohlen, the route takes a short detour to the train station. From there, the route stays close to a small narrow gauge railway to emerge once more into the countryside. And now it coes into the most interesting part of this stage. First there is a deer park. While the deer are timid animals, they have become sufficiently accepting of humans that they do not immediately run from the fence when you approach, so it is possible to see them up close. After that, the route goes into the Sagenweg which is a really interesting sculpture trail in the woods. There are 12 sculptures altogether, and any one of them is worth seeing and photographing, but I have just included a couple here.
The trail then winds on through the forest and soon comes to the Erdmannlistein. This is an interesting rock formation that at first site appears similar to the dolmens found in Celtic countries. The theory is that the stones were carried to this location by the Reuss valley glacier in the last ice age, and then piled by prehistoric humans into the formation that is there now. Because of their weight, they are slowly sinking into the forest floor, but that process has a long way to go yet. Legend has it that the site was inhabited by fairies (or their Swiss equivalent) until a young boy threw a stick at them, and they disappeared forever into the ground. But even without the legends, this is an impressive place.
The route goes further through the forest to emerge at Bremgarten. This is one of the old Habsburg towns on the region, as I found out when I was walking the Aargauer Weg (once again, see my earlier blog post). This time, I did not stay, but got the train on that narrow gauge railway back to Wohlen, and from there the mainline SBB train back to Basel.
In summary, this is an enjoyable walk, not too strenuous, but long enough to be a full day out. The first half from Othmarsingen to Wohlen is not particularly interesting, but the second half from Wohlen to Bremgarten more than makes up for that.
Walkingman 