Wohlen – Straw Culture, History and Routes
Accommodation in Wohlen
Wohlen is a large village in the BĂĽnz Valley in the southeast of the canton of Aargau and belongs to the Freiamt region. The BĂĽnz flows through the town; to the east of the BĂĽnz Valley lies the long ridge of the Wagenrain. Two themes shape the way you see Wohlen during your stay: the history of the straw industry and routes through the landscape.
Straw history at the museum
Over the course of the 19th century, Wohlen developed into a centre of the Swiss straw industry that exported its products worldwide. The Swiss Straw Museum explores this history. Its permanent exhibition combines numerous multimedia stations and comments from eyewitnesses with an interactive globe and a digitised pattern book. There is a dedicated tour of the exhibition for children.
The museum in Villa Isler reopened in May 2013 and was renamed SCHWEIZER STROHMUSEUM in 2023. The villa and its park were built in the 1860s by straw manufacturer August Isler. A free guided tour of the permanent exhibition takes place on the first Sunday of each month. Check the museum calendar before travelling if you would like to plan around this date.
The nickname «Chly-Paris» also refers to the local history of straw and straw plaiting: it is explained by the connections between Wohlen's straw-plaiting traders and the Paris fashion centre. The Straw Museum and this name offer two different ways to explore the former importance of the trade – one through the exhibition, the other through commerce and its connections.
Historic buildings and their stories
Villa Isler is protected as a cantonal monument. It is classified as a monument of regional importance and is protected in its entirety. Another striking religious building is the Roman Catholic parish church of St. Leonhard: it is considered a major work of neoclassical religious architecture in Aargau and is a monument of national importance protected in its entirety. The decision to build the present-day church was made in 1803; the old church tower was retained.
St. Anna Chapel on Jurastrasse was built in 1513/14 on the old country road to Baden. It houses a Gothic winged altar from the 16th century, which originally came from the pilgrimage church of Hergiswald. Keep this in mind when planning: the chapel is closed outside services and opens only on request.
The Emanuel Isler House is a stately town house built in 1819, with a late Neoclassical garden pavilion. It is classified as a monument of regional importance and is protected in its entirety. The townscape also includes a little castle and a castle park. Historically, the little castle was the seat of the local rulers, the «Lords of Wolen», a minor noble family in the service of the Habsburgs.
Getting around on foot and by bike
The Erdmannlistein consists of three granite blocks containing gneiss, transported to the Swiss Plateau from the Reuss Glacier during the WĂĽrm glaciation. It is designated a geological site of cantonal importance. The arrangement of the boulders is interpreted as a prehistoric place of worship. A hiking route leads from the Straw Museum via the Erdmannlistein to Bremgarten. It is listed as 7.2 kilometres long, with a walking time of 1:55 hours, 70 metres of ascent and 100 metres of descent.
The meditation trail in the Chollmoos/Torfmoos area offers a different way to get out and about. Its seven themed stations invite visitors to reflect and linger; quotations, proverbs, aphorisms and accompanying questions prompt personal reflection. The routes therefore differ not only in length but also in focus: the hiking route connects named stops on the way to Bremgarten, while the meditation trail explores its themes at individual stopping points.
The 2025 regional leisure map describes the signposted Freiämter cycle route as a 68-kilometre circular route: it passes through Wohlen and runs from Sins via Muri, Othmarsingen, Bremgarten and Merenschwand back to Sins. The map also shows a 34-kilometre circular route from Wohlen via Dottikon, Lenzburg, Seengen, Meisterschwanden and Villmergen back to Wohlen. The second route is half the length of the first – a practical comparison when choosing your bike tour based on the distance you have in mind.
Leisure and practical planning
SchĂĽwo Park is open year-round and includes an ice rink, an outdoor swimming pool, mini golf and beach sports. The outdoor pool has the longest water slide in the Freiamt region. Individual activities may be seasonal; before visiting, check in particular whether the outdoor pool and slide are available.
For train travel, Wohlen station's P+Rail facility is in the underground car park right next to the station. If you plan to park there, check the fees and capacity in advance. This will help you plan a visit that takes in the Straw Museum, historic buildings and the routes described here, without confusing the different cultural, landscape and sporting attractions.
Discover more destinations: Villmergen, Berikon, Oberlunkhofen, Arni, Zufikon, Bremgarten, Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg, Niederwil.
Back to the main travel overview: Bremgarten.
