Fracstein Castle

P3

Rest of the valley side wall

The castle ruins Fracstein located on the territory of the municipality Buchen in the narrow valley at the entrance to Prättigau in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.

Location

The Fracstein castle stood at the foot of a cliff on the right side of the country Quart. The importance of Fracstein lay in its position on the connecting road from Zürichseeraum to the Flüelapass. Access: From the old main road from a small passage through the retaining wall on the rubbish heap at the foot of the cliff. The ruins can be easily reached via a narrow steep path in five minutes.

Name

About the origin of the name, there is little clarity. In itself, the interpretation would saxa fracta fit the situation of the castle at the foot of a vertical rock wall. In the documents, however, the name appears four times as Fragenstein, for the first time in 1338, the last time in 1509; 1344 the castle ze Fragstein is mentioned once.

Ulrich Campell holds the origin of the name for German and suspects a connection with the Middle High German verb vragen ( = ask questions, investigate ), but this would at most sense in the context of a customs station. It is also difficult to understand why a medieval castle owner should call his castle in the middle of the Romansh -speaking after a German verb. Logically appears an origin from an original name Rage stone (under the towering cliffs), which could have led by uf Rage Stone to Frakstein. Whether, therefore, the first part of word Roman or German origin can not be determined. Apparently the name was already no longer understood to Campbells 1573 times.

Plant

Castle

From the main building only a few walls of rubble remain, sometimes in Opus spicatum. The main building consisted of an elongated rectangle with a back extension shifted to the north a narrow side. The back of the castle consisted of the natural, jutting rock which formed a powerful guard. Inside indicated an irregular running construction joint indicated that the building was constructed on the ruins of an older building. Of particular interest is the water supply: Since neither a Sodbrunnen still a cistern could be created, the water was taken west of the castle above the cliff and out with wooden pipes to the castle.

The building consisted of four levels, of which the third as a residential basement was expanded. In the third floor, the main living spaces of which at a window seat, a niche is still preserved plants. As can be seen from notches on the inner plaster, each floor with wooden walls were divided. The high input at the level of the second floor is still well preserved on the eastern narrow side. He was accessible by a staircase on the east side. The valley side wall was finished with battlements with a far distance. The roof was probably applied to the rock and fell obliquely to the south.

Drawings

Noteworthy are the numerous engravings in the plaster on the eastern interior of housing; if you know where to find them, they can still be seen clearly. They come from the High Middle Ages and provide different helmets and coat of arms of some local Knights gender is as the Aspermont, the Belmont, the Rhazuns and others.

House of the castle priests and church

In the immediate vicinity of the main building, the remains of a small, former three-story residential building that was probably the property of the so -called " castle priests " are. The living room was on the second floor. Next door was a small church dedicated to St. Aper, which is first mentioned in 1370 and 1520 for the last time. Today only a few foundations to see. The house was leaning against the rock wall and consisted of a transversely divided building with a steep pitched roof. In the interior are still niches, remnants of a bulk stone and a heating system to see.

Wall

Virtually gone is the Letzimauer that led from the foot of the wall to the shores of the country Quart and the canyon sealed off. However, a picture of Wolf Huber of Fracstein is obtained from 1552 showing the time already decaying building. Next you can see the chapel and the armed with arrow slits and battlements. On the road stood a gate with iron bay window, which was covered by a pointed arch. The wooden door reinforced with iron sheet and iron rods, which is why the name Ferraporta (iron door ) arose, which carried over in modified form to the nearby castle. 1799 Grison troops tried in vain to stop the invasion of the French in Fracstein. The Letzimauer was destroyed except for a few residues by rockfall, use as a quarry, as well as by the construction of the railway line and the modern road.

History

When Fracstein has been built, you do not know; There are no related references. In the 13th century the castle was owned by the Lords of Aspermont, who built at that time in the region of Maienfeld and in the lower Prättigau a successful reign. Probably they were the builders of the main castle. Fracstein appears in the 14th century for the first time in texts, as the rule has been divided by Aspermont. 1338 sold Eberhard and Ulrich of Aspermont the patrimonies of her uncle Ulrich in Prättigau of Frederick V of Toggenburg and Ulrich von Matsch. They held the lands until 1344, then they were divided. Fracstein remained in the possession of two families, however, came to Prättigau and informed from now on the fate of the valley.

1436 Frederick VII died with the last Count of Toggenburg and Fracstein went over to the Knights of mud that sold the castle in 1466 to Austria. The buildings were no longer entertained and disintegrated. In the 16th century Fracstein was a ruin. The chapel, which is first mentioned in a document of 1370 seems to have been used until the Reformation in 1530. Later, she served for a long time is a traditional rural Spring Festival as a backdrop.

In the Grisons turmoil of the 17th century Fracstein played a role again: in 1621 the old dam of Colonel Alois Soon Iron was repaired and in 1622 was even a small Austrian garrison in the castle until it was driven out of the rebellious inhabitants of the Prättigau. 1649, the Prättigauer six dishes Association of Austria bought off and Fracstein became the property of the court of Schiers.

Gallery

Against the south wall Tobel

Drawings on the east wall

Reconstruction

House of the castle priests

South facade of the house Pfaff

Eastern city wall