Stein lies in the Fricktal in Canton Aargau, around 30km east of Basel on the bank of the Rhine opposite the German town of Bad Säckingen. Two bridges cross the river, one of which is the oldest and longest roofed wooden bridge in Europe.

The village centre with its old buildings and remains thereof lies in a bend of the Rhine. The newer part of the village, factories and production plants of Basel’s chemical industry stretch in a northern and eastern direction towards the flat plateau of the Sisslerfeld. To the south of the village lies the elevation of the Eickerberg. This hill of the Jura formation has steep flanks that then reach a high plateau.

Access to Stein is excellent due to its railway station on the Bözberg line (from 1875) and the nearby motorway slip road. There is a pier at the Fridolinsbrücke for boat trips on the Rhine. Two bridges cross the Rhine to the neighbouring town of Bad Säckingen in Germany: Europe’s oldest and longest roofed wooden bridge (for pedestrians and cyclists only) and the new Fridolinsbrücke dating from 1979 for motorised traffic. Stein and Bad Säckingen enjoy excellent cross-border relations.

Stein was first mentioned in records in 1281 and belonged to the Säckingen monastery. Stein was a small village settlement until the emergence of the chemical industry in 1957 with the construction of a plant on the village periphery creating up to 1500 jobs. The village underwent major transformation within a few years and old buildings had to make way for new. The village church, the Gasthaus Löwen and the old post office were demolished to make way for a motorway. Stein no longer has a distinct town centre.

Highlights

• Wooden bridge – Europe’s oldest and longest roofed wooden bridge crosses the Rhine to Bad Säckingen and is reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Neighbouring town of Bad Säckingen, Germany - the old town is one of southern Germany’s most picturesque. The baroque Fridolinsmünster (St. Fridolin Minster) and Schönau Castle with its trumpet museum are worth visiting.