Horben Castle

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Castle Horben

The Horben Castle is a small castle in Beinwil ( Freiamt) in the Swiss canton of Aargau. It is 818 meters on the Horben Plateau, on the crest of the Lindenberg near the border with the Canton of Lucerne. The building dates from the early 18th century as the summer residence of the monks of the nearby monastery of Muri, a cultural asset of national importance. Of particular value are wallpapers paintings by Caspar Wolf.

History

According to the Acta Murensia possessed the Muri Abbey in the 12th century 16 Jucharten land and a dairy. In the years 1700/1701 let abbot Plazidus Zurlauben build a summer home or a rest home for the monks of the Benedictine Abbey high above the valley. The works were under the direction of Mason Hans Rey and the carpenter Hans Maeder, the costs amounted to 1183 guilders. Prince Abbot Gerold Haimb gave in 1730 the contract for the construction of the adjacent chapel, which is dedicated to St. Wendelin and Ubaldus.

The first extension of the castle took place in 1739, four years later was added a fountain. Between 1762 and 1764, the building was given its present form, as Prince Abbot Bonaventure Bucher let it expanded into a baroque residential palace. Caspar Wolf, one of the most famous alpine and landscape painter of his time, created valuable wallpapers paintings in the abbot and the hunter's room. From Johann Elias Ridinger, the stucco ceiling comes in the hunting room.

After the dissolution of the monastery in 1841, the castle passed into private ownership and was used for various purposes, such as restaurant and spa resort. In 1913 it came into the possession of the Borsinger family. This left the tear subsequently grown outbuilding for goat's milk and whey cures again and restore the now slightly dilapidated castle again. The castle, which serves as a private residence, is not open to the public as opposed to the chapel. Both buildings are listed buildings since 1963.

Building

Before removing 1739 the castle was one of two floors with 2 × 3 axles under hipped gable roof. Today there was one 4 × 5 axes. At the eaves sides two main floors follow the low ground floor, on the gable sides there are four floors. About the roof rises a hexagonal onion dome. The corners of the house are framed in pilasters, windows in segmental arches. The stichbogige and framed main entrance is suspected with a round pediment.

The hunting room is located in the northeast of the first floor. The wallpapers painting combined in a representation of an ideal landscape motifs from the history of the Habsburg ( founder of the monastery ), hunting scenes and scenes from the Bible. Displayed information includes the murder of King Albert I, King Rudolph I of hunting retinue, the metaphor of the Good Shepherd, Christ with the Samaritan and the parable of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. The pattern of stucco shows a wide, empty mirror with bar, broken by Rocaillekartuschen at the corners and in the middle of each side. Main topic of wallpapers paintings in Abtzimmer is the legend of Saint Benedict of Nursia, which is located in a mountainous landscape with mountain stream and wooden bridge. The stucco exhibit a similar pattern as in the hunting room. In the corner is a 1764 created by Michael Leonz Küchler tower furnace, on the blue and white tiles ruins and harbor landscapes are shown.

The Chapel of St. Wendelin is located south of the castle and measures 7 x 4 meters and has a small, enclosed on three sides choir and three segmental arched windows on the long sides. A hexagonal roof turret with onion dome and a small bell towers over the south end, Tuscan columns support the sign at the north end. Inside is a flat beam ceiling with crown molding. Behind the choir screen is the rule laid down in 1745 altar with gilded carvings ( acanthus and shell motifs), a work of the prince bergischen Hofschreiners Matthew Baisch. In the main journal of the Good Shepherd is shown in the upper sheet of the chapel saint Wendelin. On consoles at the chancel arch are half life-size statues of Saint Anthony and Wendelin, on the east wall a relief statue of the Mother of God.

Environment

The plateau Horben with the castle is a popular tourist destination, especially on weekends. In summer, a vast network of hiking trails. In winter, when there is enough snow, near a short ski lift is put into operation and there are three cross-country trails groomed. The Lindenberg trail is 12 kilometers long, the Horbenloipe 4.4 km. Another 2.2 km long trail is illuminated at night.