Freie Ämter
The Freiamt or Freie Ämter (English: Free Office or Free Administrative Unit, though it is not usually translated into English) is a region in Switzerland and is located in the southeast of Canton of Aargau. It comprises the area between the Lindenberg and Heitersberg and from the terminal moraine at Othmarsingen to Reuss river in Dietwil. Today the area of the Bremgarten and Muri Districts are called the Freiamt. Previously, the area around Affoltern District in the canton of Zurich was called the (Zurich) Freiamt.
Freiamt Freie Ämter | |||||||||
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| 1415–1798 | |||||||||
Coat of arms
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Map of the bailiwick of the Freie Ämter in the Old Swiss Confederacy 1435–1798 | |||||||||
| Status | Subject of the Old Swiss Confederacy | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1415 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1798 | ||||||||
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Bremgarten, Muri, Sins, Villmergen and Wohlen are among the main towns of the Freiamt. The metropolitan area around the Mutschellen pass is another important population center.
According to statistical criteria, there is only one city, Wohlen. During the Middle Ages, Bremgarten had city rights, but it is not currently classed as a city. The Freiamt lies in a central position in the Swiss plateau. The large cities of Zurich, Zug and Lucerne are all within a half-hour's drive from the Freiamt.