Solothurn

Solothurn
Clockwise from top: Aare river and St. Ursus cathedral (background); St. Ursus Cathedral; Simson fountain; Old town street and Zeitglockenturm; Biel gate tower (Bieltorturm)
Location of Solothurn
Solothurn
Solothurn
Coordinates: 47°12′30″N 7°32′14″E / 47.20833°N 7.53722°E / 47.20833; 7.53722
CountrySwitzerland
CantonSolothurn
DistrictSolothurn
Government
 • ExecutiveGemeinderat
with 30 members
 • MayorStadtpräsidentin (list)
Stefanie Ingold SPS/PSS
(as of 2021)
 • Parliamentnone (Gemeindeversammlung)
Area
 • Total
6.28 km2 (2.42 sq mi)
Elevation
(Chapel of St Peter)
432 m (1,417 ft)
Population
 (December 2020)
 • Total
16,802
 • Density2,680/km2 (6,930/sq mi)
DemonymGerman: Solothurner(in)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code
4500
SFOS number2601
ISO 3166 codeCH-SO
Surrounded byBellach, Biberist, Feldbrunnen-Sankt Niklaus, Langendorf, Rüttenen, Zuchwil
Twin townsHeilbronn (Germany), Kraków (Poland), Le Landeron (Switzerland)
Websitewww.stadt-solothurn.ch

Solothurn (/ˈslətʊərn, ˈz-/ SOH-lə-toorn, ZOH-; Swiss Standard German: [ˈzoːlotʊrn] ; French: Soleure [sɔlœʁ]; Italian: Soletta [soˈletta]; Romansh: Soloturn) is a city, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains.

The city is the only municipality of the district of the same name.

The city got its name from Salodurum, a Roman-era settlement. From 1530 to 1792 it was the seat of the French ambassador to Switzerland. The pedestrian-only old town was built between 1530 and 1792 and shows an impressive array of Baroque architecture, combining Italian Grandezza, French style, and Swiss ideas. The city has eighteen structures listed as heritage sites.

The official language of Solothurn is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect.