My Town

In February, A lil Hoohaa launched a monthly video challenge, first topic being "Potpourri". In March he invited us to tell our personal story. For the April project he sent us to experience some outdoor adventures. In May, we were supposed to document a day in the life.

In June, we get to show you our towns.

So here's the thing. According to the official definition, I don't actually live in a town, but in a village. However, the nearest town has practically merged with my village. The villagers live on one side of the road, and the townspeople on the other. In numbers, Staufen, the village where I live, has about 4,500 residents, while Lenzburg has around 11,000.

While Staufen has everything we need for our daily lives, including supermarkets, a small shopping center with a hair salon, bookshop and clothing stores, as well as a handful of restaurants, we go to Lenzburg for everything else, such as doctors, dentists, pharmacies, the library and sports facilities.

Long story short, this is why my video is about Lenzburg.

We begin at the railway station, where many people commute to Basel or Zurich for work. 

From there, I take you to the Fünfweiher, a popular local recreation area. The name translates as "Five Ponds." They were created in the sixteenth century and were originally used for fish farming and irrigation. Later, they also served as a reservoir for firefighting water. Today, only the main Fünfweiher and one smaller pond remain. The other three gradually silted up over the centuries.

Sports enthusiasts gather in the Wilmatte area. Here you'll find the lido, the football pitch, the street hockey arena and the tennis courts.

As you stroll through the medieval old town, you'll mainly come across cafés, restaurants and bars. I filmed early on a hot summer morning, which is why it looks so deserted. Normally, it is a lively and popular meeting place.

One thing worth pointing out is the stationery shop. It also provides postal services. There used to be two post offices in Lenzburg, but the one in the old town closed years ago. This is nothing unusual, as Swiss Post began replacing traditional post offices with partner locations more than twenty years ago. Today, postal services are often available inside pharmacies or other local businesses. In rural areas especially, Swiss Post partners with the Volg grocery chain. So while you're shopping for milk and carrots, you can also post your letters.

Next, I'm taking you up the Himmelsleiterli, which literally means "little stairway to heaven." It leads up to the Goffersberg and consists of exactly 262 steps. In just a few minutes, you climb about 50 metres, or 164 feet. At the top, you're rewarded with a fantastic view. The highlight is undoubtedly Lenzburg Castle. The less appealing landmark is the prison.

I've mentioned many times before that I go there every Wednesday. Not to visit an inmate, but to buy the pies that the prisoners bake each week and sell in the prison shop. They also produce fruit and vegetables, wine, vinegar, yoghurt and a variety of handcrafted items.

If all of this has sounded charming, but perhaps a little quaint, wait until you hear about the Lenzburg Freischaren Manoeuvres. This unique event is a historical open air theater production and folk festival that takes place every two years as part of the Youth Festival.

The tradition dates back to around 1852 and commemorates the Freischaren, volunteer militias that played a role during the political conflicts leading up to the modern Swiss federal state. Hundreds of participants in historical costumes recreate a mock battle throughout the town. Organised and uniformed cadets, who are schoolchildren, face off against the colourful and unruly militias, who often portray pirates, Spaniards or other fictional enemies. The event culminates in a spectacular battle on the Goffersberg, where the disciplined cadets usually emerge victorious.

In the weeks leading up to the summer holidays, pupils aged 12 to 16 elect their flag bearer and captain. It's an exciting time for everyone involved.

These days, former schoolmates, no matter where they live today, like to come back for the fun!

Without further ado, here is my video, I hope you enjoyed exploring my town!

Please check out the other participants' contributions here.