Safenwil brings together a themed trail through wooded areas, local history and a classic car collection in the halls of a former textile factory. The Atem-Weg focuses on mindful breathing, the Karl Barth Room offers insights into Karl Barth’s years in Safenwil, and the Classic Car Museum features vehicles from the post-war period through the 1980s. Nature, church and automotive history thus come together as distinct interests in one place. If you are looking for a hotel in Safenwil, these highlights can help you choose the experiences you want to shape your stay.

The Atem-Weg: two routes, one theme

The Atem-Weg follows two routes of different lengths through wooded areas in the municipalities of Oftringen, Safenwil, Uerkheim and Zofingen. The longer route is around seven kilometres long and has ten stations with small, playful experiments in mindful breathing. The routes differ in length; the longer route also adds a clearly defined theme to its distance. The stations make mindful breathing part of the walking experience. This gives the trail a tangible connection between a forest route and small interactive experiments, while the two options can be distinguished by their different lengths.

The church and the Karl Barth Room

The Reformed Church of Safenwil stands on a hill south of the village street that runs through the village. In general, the church is open only for services. Visits must be arranged with the secretariat; the Karl Barth Room is also opened for visits on request. Bear these conditions in mind when planning a visit.

The Karl Barth Room displays objects and images from Karl Barth’s life. Barth was a pastor in Safenwil from 1911 to 1921 and wrote his “Romans Commentary” (1919/1922) here. A small, uncomfortable desk can also be viewed in the old parsonage. These biographical details provide context for the local connection; the desk is a specific object on display in the room. Personal history, his years as a pastor and a work written in Safenwil thus come together.

Classic cars in a former textile factory

The Classic Car Museum is located in the halls of a former textile factory. Between 50 and 60 classic cars from the Emil Frey Classics AG collection are on permanent display there. The focus is on collectors’ and enthusiasts’ cars, gleaming with chrome and paint, from the period after the Second World War through the 1980s. Most of the vehicles are of British and Japanese origin. This gives the museum a different focus from the trails and local church history: here, vehicle types, origins and dates provide the thematic framework.

Other trails and the valley setting

The Barth-Thurneysen Trail was inaugurated in Safenwil on 23 August 2019. It has stations in five Reformed churches between Safenwil and Leutwil. The Huguenot Trail runs from Zofingen to Aarau via Safenwil. The two routes can be distinguished by their respective features: the Barth-Thurneysen Trail focuses on church stations between Safenwil and Leutwil, while the Huguenot Trail describes the connection from Zofingen to Aarau via Safenwil.

Safenwil lies in a hollow at the transition between the Wigger Valley to the west and the Uerke and Suhre valleys to the east. The transverse valley is bounded to the north by the Engelberg range, which belongs to the Folded Jura, and by the hills in Safenwilerwald. To the south, the Bühnenberg–Hochwacht–Heizenberg–Halden ridge forms the boundary; it belongs to the Molasse massif in the Swiss Plateau. The surrounding valleys and ridges thus help define the geographical setting of the village.

Plan your visits to suit your interests

When planning, it is worth considering the different interests separately: the Atem-Weg combines wooded areas with breathing experiments, the Karl Barth Room and the church offer insights into local history, and the Classic Car Museum is devoted to classic cars. If you would like to visit the church, arrange a time with the secretariat; visits to the Karl Barth Room are available on request. You can take these specific visiting arrangements into account as you consider which highlights suit your stay in Safenwil.

Discover more destinations: Roggwil, Bottenwil, Rothrist, Zofingen, Staffelbach, Kölliken

Go to the main travel overview: Zofingen.