Schenkenberg Castle

Schenkenberg ruins

Schenkenberg is a ruined castle above Thalheim in the Swiss canton of Aargau. It was built in the 13th century by order of the Habsburgs, was during 260 years administrative headquarters of the bailiwick Schenkenberg the city of Bern and fell into disrepair in the 18th century into a ruin.

Location

The castle is located on the homonymous, 631 -meter high mountain in the Jura folds, some 200 feet above the five-kilometer long Schenkenbergertal.

History

The castle was probably built in the early 13th century by order of the Habsburgs, who thus wanted to secure their core areas around their headquarters and the city of Brugg. The first written mention of the castle took place in 1243. Lords of the castle at that time were the taverns of Schenkenberg, masters of the Habsburgs. The property changed in the sequence between several masters of the Habsburgs.

After the lost battle of Sempach the Habsburgs were in financial difficulties and had to pledge the castle. 1415 were the Habsburgs at King Sigismund in disgrace, after which the Confederates conquered the Aargau. The area to the left of the Aare, including the Schenkenbergertal, but remained unchanged for the time being. 1417, King Sigismund the castle under his direct protection. The owner of the manor Margaret of Fridingen sold in 1431, the castle and the associated rights to Baron Thüringstrasse of Aarburg.

The rule Schenkenberg extended over a large part of present-day district of Brugg. 1451 came Thüringstrasse into financial problems and sold the reign of his son Hans von Baldegg and his brother Mark Wart. The Baldeggerseee who had fought in 1386 on the side of the Habsburgs, allied themselves ostentatiously with Austria and thus incurred the wrath of the Confederates up. Increasingly, there were disputes with the citizens of the city of Brugg, the Berne subjects were. 1460 Bern finally had enough of the constant provocations, occupied the rule and expelled the Baldeggerseee.

The damaged during the fighting castle was immediately set repaired. The rule Schenkenberg was a bailiwick in the Bernese Aargau and Castle became the seat of the Bernese bailiff. Several times tried Baldeggerseee to regain their property through diplomatic and legal means, for example, in the Swabian War of 1499, but always unsuccessfully. Hans von Baldegg, the last of his line, died in 1510 of the plague.

The Schenkenberg castle was in the northeast corner of the Bernese rule area near the border with Austria front. Due to this strategic location Berne castle fortified strong, but saved in the maintenance. In the early 18th century, the castle had become so dilapidated that the bailiff and his family feared for their lives because regular crumbling wall parts. Finally, the Council of the City of Bern decided to abandon the castle and the bailiff moved in 1720 to the nearby Schloss Wildenstein at Veltheim.

The castle had been ruined and was used for a time by the farmers in the area as a quarry. 1798 came into the possession of the newly created Canton of Aargau, the assignee of the city of Bern. In 1837 the castle was bought by a dubious " Mr. Schenkenberg ," which, however, soon after disappeared without a trace. The castle remained virtually abandoned several decades. As a storm in 1917 the east wall brought about the collapse move came in the matter. Since they are declared as unclaimed assets in the sequence, it came up for auction in May 1918. She was sold for a symbolic amount of 50 francs to the Aargauische association of Homeland Security, the repeatedly performed extensive backup and conservation work in the sequence. Today the ruins is a listed building and is classified as architectural monument of national importance.

Plant

The facility was built in several stages. This is the conclusion was reached, especially during the renovation in 2003, in which also an archaeological Bauuntersuchung was made. In excavations, however, was omitted. For this reason it is whereas the annual estimates. Many times remain vague because they can not be confirmed. Also, only the sequence of individual stages of construction on a structure can be clearly determined, but usually not the chronological classification of the various buildings to each other. It is believed that first the main tower, and then the main castle, and finally the lower castle was built.

At the highest point is the main tower. He is surrounded by the so-called main castle, the tower forms its northeastern corner. West of the main castle, the lower castle are the farm buildings and the door system. Southwest of the lower castle and south of the main castle is the castle garden with the goat tower in the southeast corner; this is the lowest point of the castle. The western completion of the castle is the Powder Tower.

Located west adjacent to the main tower the curtain wall with a (semi - ) round tower as a conclusion. On the south side of the shield wall of the palace was grown, this did not extend to the Round Tower, but still between a stair tower was built against the curtain wall. A weir protected the eastern side of the palace. The lower castle was connected to the main castle via a staircase that led south of the western Gratsporns up. To the east of the main tower, separated by a moat, is a Vorwerk.

As the oldest part of the castle is considered the main tower, as all adjoining parts of the building have arisen subsequently. The tower has been increased twice and additionally changed twice in the upper end by a einbaute battlements degree and later an artillery platform. Individual beams from the second Aufhöhung could be dated with a Fälldatum 1226-1233. This, however, can not be dated the increase since quite old beams could have been used. This, however, the first written records of 1243 is confirmed. If this fresh beams have been used, which can not be confirmed because of the lack of excavation results, the construction would have to be done in the 12th century.

The goat tower was built in around 1500 and subsequently increased again. When Aufhöhung the eastern perimeter 1622/23 he was on the top floor an entrance on the battlements of this wall.