History
Origin and foundation
The name Bremgarten can be traced back to several sources from the Celts and the Romans, but specially to the old German Brema/Bräma, which means thorn or bramble bush garden. A farming village called Vilingen existed on the high plateau of the peninsula on the river Reuss until the beginning of the 13th century, when the Habsburgs built a fortress tower there. From then on the town of Bremgarten developed systematically and the wooden Reuss bridge was erected.
Confederates against their will
The Habsburgs governed the town from the beginning and the Bremgarten troops fought on their side against the Swiss Confederates at Morgarten in 1315 and again at Sempach in 1386. The Confederates conquered Aargau in 1415 and Bremgarten surrendered after a short siege. Bremgarten, now a subject town, was allowed to govern its own affairs and keep its own legal district. During the Old Zürich War, the town fought on the (wrong) Zürich-Habsburg side, refusing the offer from the Confederates to join them as an independent district in the Confederacy. Bremgarten was occupied several times by the Confederate troops and in 1712 was taken over and ruled jointly by Bern, Zürich and Glarus. In 1789 Bremgarten was incorporated into the Helvetic countship of Baden and later in 1803 the town became district capital in the newly established canton of Aargau.
15th / 16th century - boom period
Bremgarten developed into an important market centre for the Reusstal region. The main industry was handcraft, but the inhabitants also kept livestock and worked gardens, vineyards and large woodland areas. The sons of wealthy townspeople visited the Latin school, among whom were: Nikolaus von Wile, humanist; Wernher Schodoler, chronicler; Johannes von Al, poet; Heinrich Bullinger, reformer. During the Reformation, Bremgarten went through a turbulent time. In 1529 the people adopted the new faith, but after the defeat at Kappel am Albis, Catholicism was reintroduced by force in Bremgarten and the surrounding Freiamt.
17th / 18th century
The citizens of Bremgarten held together against the influx of newcomers to the town and divided the political offices between the old leading families. The house of the Beguines was turned into the St. Klara convent. The Capuchin monastery at the west end of the wooden bridge was established in 1617. Since 1889 the monastery grounds, together with later-added buildings, have been used as a children's home by the St. Joseph Foundation.
Progress during the 19th and 20th centuries
During this time, the town walls were torn down, and the wooden bridge and the streets through the town were altered to accommodate the increasing traffic. Many of the old houses, including the hospital, had to be sacrificed to make room for the changes.
A lot of work and effort went into the construction of modern traffic routes: new roads over the Mutschellen and to Wohlen, a railway line from Wohlen to Bremgarten West (1876) and an electric tramway from Obertor to Dietikon (1902), the latter two being connected ten years later via a railway bridge.
New industries
New industries arose from the existing works along the river. The Bruggmühle became a cotton mill before it was turned into a power station, and the paper mill became a cardboard factory. Later followed a silk-weaving mill and the plastics factory Georg Utz AG.
In the 1950s, Bremgarten became a military base for the engineering corps, but today it is the headquarters for units of disaster relief. The small town which began with a population of 1,000 has grown to one of 7,700 - and was merged with Hermetschwil-Staffeln in 2014.
In 1994 a large-scale bypass was constructed to take away the motorised traffic from the old town.