Glanzenberg Castle

View from the Wall of the castle moat and the remains ( Shield Wall ) Castle Glanzberg

The ruin Glanzberg is a ruined and deserted village on the territory of the municipality in the canton of Zurich Unterengstringen.

3.1 castle
3.2 small town

Location

The ruin is situated about 300 meters away on the Limmat from the deserted village of the former town Glanzberg. It is restored and freely accessible.

History

Castle driving

Probably around 1040, built Lütold of Affoltern near the village rain Altburg, at the present border between the Zurich and rain village of Hamburg, near the cats lake. The rain also Alt- Berg called castle was the ancestral home of the Barons of rain mountain.

Was well over the same period in driving the construction of a wooden castle, near the later town Glanzberg and not far from the monastery driving.

In a document from the year 1044 come alongside Lütold of Affoltern also Ebbo and Adalbero of driving as a witness.

Town Glanzberg

In the context of territorial competition with the rain between salvors and the thriving city of Zurich, in the first half of the 13th century, the Regensberger built from the old castle driving. Adjacent they founded probably around 1240, the town Glanzberg " ennet the Limmat at Dietikon ».

After the death of Lütold V. arose between his two sons, Lütold VI. and Ulrich of rain mountain to the year 1250 for the division of an estate. Ulrich got the castle town of New Regenberg and possession within the territory of Glanzberg, driving and wine rings.

The rain Berger had chosen the place for a city founded by strategic considerations. Firstly, it should control the trade on the river Limmat between Zurich and Baden, the other is the site for the construction of a bridge over the Limmat River was suitable and was located near the monastery driving, also a Regensberger foundation.

However, for a bridge they needed the cooperation of the Knights of Schönenwerd whose castle Schönenwerd stood on the opposite bank of the Limmat. The city of Zurich, however, did not tolerate the construction of a new bridge and pressed the men of Schönenwerd who undertook in 1257, on the opposite bank of the Limmat not to sell land for a bridge. This document contains the first written mention of the city Glanzberg.

1259 was in dispute between Propst Eberhard of driving and Count Rudolf of Habsburg to the parish membership of the city Glanzberg like an arbitration award in favor of the monastery ELEVATOR.

Contemporary sources are missing, but the late medieval chroniclers report in September 1267 of a forcible destruction of Glanzberg through Zurich under the leadership of Count Rudolf IV of Habsburg (from 1273 as German King Rudolph I of Habsburg ). 1267/68 to have been destroyed during the so-called rainy Berger feud the city of Zurich disabling possessions of the Barons, but for the allegedly destroyed castles - Alt.Lägern, castle and town Glanzberg, Baldern, castle Friesenberg, Üetliburg, Wulp and Utznaburg - could a violent destruction are not yet been proven beyond doubt. The destruction of Baldern, Uetliburg and Glanzberg is mentioned in the legend of the crafty Habsburgs.

1291 should Lütold the Younger of Regenberg the territory of the monastery Glanzberg Wettingen sold, but have secured a right of repurchase for 10 years, and was in 1301 again owners of Glanzberg.

Ulrich von Jegistorf, provost in driving and monk in the monastery of Einsiedeln, will be released on June 11, 1300, in a deed of Adelheid widow of the Barons Ulrich of rain mountain, by which they renounced their Leibgeding in favor of the monastery Wettingen. The following year the monastery driving rain Berger Lütold VIII acquired the farm Glanzberg and other goods and other abandoned on 25 February 1301 as Lütold VIII the advocacy of the monastery drive to the Abbot of Einsiedeln, with the request that they at Bertold to give and Jacob Schwenden, citizens of Zurich. Documents mention to 1322 deserted farms in Glanzberg.

The late Middle Ages to modern times

1689 is said to have unsuccessfully laid claim to the used as farmland town area the monastery Wettingen. Glanzberg played in the Second Villmerger War (1712 ) play a role, as here, a provisional Limmatbrücke was built. Similarly, in 1799 in the so-called Second Battle of Zurich, as the French general André Masséna his positions and the river crossing by the application of Schanzenbauten west secured the former city.

Plant

Parts of the former castle hill had in 1909 the south adjacent industrial track soft, and also the construction of a flood destroyed the dam in 1912 more buildings. To use the rest of the system as a gravel pit for the construction of the provincial road, the Antiquarian Society Zurich could prevent 1923.

1924 first archaeological soundings were made, exposing the preserved remains was made in 1937 to 1940. During construction of the N1 motorway, the Zurich Cantonal Archaeological undertook excavations, and to 1980/81, the entire rest of the castle town was exposed and preserved.

Castle

While the castle around 1267 seems to have been abandoned, the mentioned sources, archaeological findings and ceramic finds on colonization from the 12th to the 14th century, according to which Glanzberg was used for deserted and as a quarry. The erosion by the Limmat wore in the following centuries as a part of the background.

Received from the former castle are the double ditch and a portion of the approximately 2.5 meters thick polygonal megalithic ring wall of huge boulders that surrounded the castle itself plateau with the former residential tower. The castle was on a ridge just above the former river.

Town

The former town Glanzberg was due to the in the 13th century 300 meters to the north -flowing river Limmat, on an area of 180 meters long and 45 (East side ) to 110 ( west side ) meters in width. The 1.2 -meter-thick city wall had a main gate on the north side, while passed against the Limmat towards smaller passages.

The city does not seem to have been completed: Receive are remnants of the partially lack the foundation pit grown beyond the city wall. Parts of the land-side moat are weakly identifiable on the ground. Along the north, east and south walls were wood and some stone. Clear evidence of a violent destruction are missing.