The National Assembly of the Helvetic Republic at its first session on 12 April 1798 in Aarau City Hall. Image: Aarau City Museum

Even their contemporaries were aware that aside from the decidedly pro-revolution climate and relatively central location, there was not much going for Aarau as a capital city; the shortcoming of a complete lack of infrastructure was all too evident. The city of Aarau acted decisively and quickly to combat this deficiency. Even before the end of April a draft was drawn by Berne-based architect Johann Daniel Osterrieth, which provided for the creation of a new district in the east of the historic centre, which would double the surface area of the city. This plan entitled “Projet d’Agrandissement de la Comune d’Aarau”, or Project to Expand the Commune of Aarau, still wins the respect of city planners today for its rationality and vision. In his draft, Osterrieth valued the overall picture, not individual buildings. The design reflects the ideas of the Revolution, such as the separation of powers: Directory, Parliament and courts were to be housed in different buildings.

Raoul Richner

When Aarau became the capital city