Schauenburg Castle

Old -looking castle of the South: curtain wall and entrance area (March 2010)

The Ruine Alt -looking castle is the younger of the two Look castles west of Frenk village in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft.

Location

The ruin is situated on the Chleiflüeli, one of the Schauenburgflue adjacent rock head, about 500 meters west of Schauenburg bathroom. On the eastern, southern and northern side vertical rock walls form hardly to be overcome obstacles approach. The rock head has two vertical cracks that existed prior to the construction of the castle ( and did not arise until the Basel earthquake of 1356 ).

Plant

The main castle is surrounded to the south, west and north partly by a moat, the extended partially existing natural rock formations. The quarry activity, as is usually served for building materials is still clearly evident. Access is on the southwest corner. The system is dominated by the up to four meters thick shield wall on the west side, which will be completed at the northwest and southwest corner of each round a corner projections.

Behind the curtain wall were two living rooms, both of which have walk-in access from the courtyard.

In the northeast corner of the main castle, there is a carved out of rock, rectangular pit ( partially walled ), which was used as either a basement or as a filter tank.

West of the main castle were still traces of a bailey - consisting of two wooden houses (possibly economics building) - discovered. This was, however, in contrast to the main castle, only (or only ) very weakly protected by palisades.

History

The settlement of the Old -looking castle began in accordance with the archaeological finds about 1275 to 1280 and was part of the planned expansion of its clearing zone looking castle. In order for the Alt -looking castle is the younger of the two Look castles.

Use of the castle ends in 1356 with the Basel earthquake. Apparently, the benefits and costs of repairing the damage, classified especially considering the nearby New Look Castle, as unfavorable, and so the fortress Alt -looking castle was abandoned, while the New Look castle was repaired. This led to the misleading designation in Old and New Look Castle: The term "Alt" referring to the state of preservation ( old = broken) after the earthquake.

The ruin was forgotten, because all property and rights seem to have been connected with the New - Look castle. Only soundings in the years 1949-1954 showed the location of the ruins again. 1976/77 the Alt -looking castle was then excavated and restored preserving.