Bischofstein Castle (Switzerland)

Kennel, door system and Tower ( March 2010)

The ruins of a medieval castle is Bischofstein Ergolztal in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft.

Location

North of Sissach ( on the municipal boundary between Sissach and Böckten ) is the ruin Bischofstein in the immediate vicinity (100 meters north ) to the ruins Itkon on the crest of the mountain Chien. The ruin is easily accessible from Sissach or from the Sissacherfluh ago on hiking and walking trails.

Plant

The bishop stone castle was built along a vertical rock crash, which forms a natural protection of the fortress in the north- west. The other sides were separated by a deep grave system from the surrounding terrain.

There are two phases are distinguished:

• The original Castle: The Bering follows the irregular course of the rock head. While he is running over the rock fall only very weak, he reached over the trench a thickness of about one and a half meters. The original entrance was from the northeast of the trench via a ramp (on the inside of the curtain wall are the remains of the door system to recognize ). The gate was carried out ( as in most of the region ) in the form of a strong door. Was dominated and is the investment of a round donjon, with a wall thickness of 2 meters 30 and an internal diameter of only about 3 meters. Keep and building of the original castle (March 2010) The original height and coverage is uncertain, Horand assumes that he might have been up to 20 meters high and a conical roof supported. The areas between the curtain wall and the keep buildings were designed as stone buildings and their function could partly be determined. Thus, a Palas was with two rooms south-west of the keep - each with a walk-in access from the courtyard. The northern area of the palace was actually built. The upper windows of the palace were - built with pointed arched windows set in red sandstone - a sign of prosperity: this found in the rubble of the ruined window jambs were inserted into the restored wall parts as visual objects (not the original place ). According to assumptions of Horand stone buildings in the southern part of the castle as stable ( below) and residential buildings ( above) were used. In the northern part of the courtyard, the filter tank was installed, which was probably fed by roof water of the surrounding buildings ( stone and wooden structures ). Bering, inner gate and behind newer kennel (March 2010)

• Extension: A protected filter tank and a new outer door system with kennels were grown in the west and south of the plant. In this phase of expansion in the original, southern Bering an inner gate broken ( passage from the kennel in the courtyard ) and the old gate was walled up.

The Lords of Eptingen could apparently enjoy a for that time quite comfortable lifestyle: the many existing already, well-preserved stove tiles ( glazed and unglazed versions ) indicate several furnaces, the windows were partially glazed (glass panes with lead cames in focus). The many iron parts, an almost complete brass pan and even a Malsch Loss of bronze point to considerable wealth.

In the construction of the fortress not only the fresh material from the neck trenches was used, but it is likely that the immediately adjacent ruins Itkon - which was already crumbling at that time - was exploited as a building material supplier.

History

After the extinction of the family of Itkon took over or inherited by the Lords of Eptingen possession in the area of Chien mountain and built around 1250 the castle Bischofstein. Even the name here has been to a country gentlemen passed (in this case to the Bishop of Basel) and as a fief get back ( 1311 Ulrich von Bischofstein first proof) - As the time is often the case, the castle was - to ensure better protection chosen according to the Fortress to make this transfer and the resulting protective visible.

The Bishop Steinburg appears to have been damaged in the 1356 earthquake in Basel. Older reports talk about a repair and use of the castle until the 15th century, but this assumption seems according to Meyer to result from an incorrect dating of the finds: glass finds were dated too young by the excavators 1937/38. So it can be assumed that the Eptinger this fortress zuwiesen not a priority for the repair work and they left collapse.

In the middle of the 15th century sold the Eptinger Bischofstein to the Basel ministry officials, the lords of the Rhine and already on November 15, 1464 sold this Bischofstein to Wernher Steward of Rheinfelden and Peter Offenburg from Basel. Shortly thereafter, the Steward of Rheinfelden gave up possession, and Offenburg remained for about 100 years, the sole owner. On January 24, 1560 then ( the property and rights of the ruin itself was hardly more interesting, however, very well ) is the ruin with the associated assets and rights to the city of Basel, which allocated it to the Office Farnsburg to manage.

Unfortunately were performed on Bischofstein always treasure diggings, destroying the archeological finds. A first motivated by interest in history Excavations from 1914/16 carried out and promoted first wall coatings and part of the keep -a-days. The flare-up of interest thus resulted in 1926 - thanks to financial support from the civic community Sissach - in a continuation of the excavation work. 1937/38, the ruin was then fully excavated and restored preserving: This work integrated the findings made ​​earlier.