Koblenz, Switzerland

Koblenz
Canton Aargau
District Zurzach
Coordinates  47°37′ N 8°14′ E
Population 1589   (December 2004)
Area 4.09 km²
Elevation 319 m
Postal code 5322
Mayor
Website www.koblenz.ch

Koblenz (or Coblenz) is a municipality in district Zurzach in the canton of Aargau, in the north of Switzerland, at 47°36′ N 8°14′ E.

The name derives from the Latin Confluentia. Koblenz lies opposite Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg where the river Aar joins the Rhine. In the year 2003, it had about 1600 inhabitants, in an area of 4.1 km². Its postcode is 5322.

In Roman times at this place a goods yard and watchtowers existed along the Rhein. The town has been settled since the Middle Ages.

The Koblenz boatmen had a monopoly over transport of goods from the then important market town of Zurzach downstream along dangerous currents of the Rhein towards Basel. With the arrival of the railway in the 19th century Koblenz and Zurzach lost this important source of income.

The village of Koblenz is known locally as the "Vier-Brücken-Dorf" (literally: village of four bridges). Two road and railway bridges each cross the Aar and the Rhine.

The like-named town Koblenz also lies on a confluence of the Rhein, with the river Mosel in Germany.

External link

de:Koblenz AG