This small town lies between Olten and Solothurn in rural surroundings on the Aare, a major river of the west-central lowland region of Switzerland, the Mittelland.

Wangen's coat of arms shows crossed St Peter's keys in blue on a white ground.

The nobles (or Vögte) who held the lordship of Wangen adopted this symbol which had been the badge of the Upper Aargau estates of the Abbey of Saint Peter in the Black Forest.

The settlement occupied a strategically important spot, guarding the river-crossing and serving as a customs and staging-point for waterway traffic on the Aare.

[3] The modern-day Swiss Army base at Wangen is a link to the town's history as a military centre.

Today Wangen an der Aare is the Transport Corps' main centre and a training-place for disaster relief and rescue units.