The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Aarau

AARAU, (“Aar-meadow”), Switzerland, capital of the canton of Aargau; right bank of the Aar, 41 miles northwest of Bern, 1,100 feet above sea-level, in a fertile plain just south of the Jura, whose peaks close by are the Wasserfluh (2,850 feet) and Giselahfluh (2,540 feet). It had famous manufactures of cannon, bells, and fine scientific instruments, besides cutlery, leather, silk, and cotton; and holds eight fairs yearly. There are also historic, scientific, and ethnographic museums, a cantonal library rich in volumes of Swiss history, and a bronze statue of the historian and novelist Heinrich Zschokke (q. v.), who lived here. Here, December 1797, the old Swiss confederacy held its last session; April to September 1798 it was the capital of Helvetic Republic. Pop. 9,800.