Alt-Schauenburg Castle

Alt-Schauenburg is a ruined castle in the commune of Frenkendorf, Switzerland. It is located near the border of France and Germany, and little of the castle remains because of geological events.[1]

This article is about the newer castle in Switzerland. For the older castle in Switzerland, see Neu-Schauenburg Castle. For the castle in Germany, see Schauenburg Castle (Oberkirch).
Alt-Schauenburg Castle
Ruine Alt-Schauenburg
Chleiflüeli, Frenkendorf
Alt-Schauenburg from the south, shield wall and entrance
Alt-Schauenburg Castle
Coordinates47°29′44.0″N 7°40′23.7″E
Typehill castle, spur castle
CodeCH-BL
Height640 m above the sea
Site information
ConditionPreserved walls
Site history
Built1275/1280
MaterialsStone

History

There were two Schauenburg castles near Frenkendorf, Alt (or Old)-Schauenburg about 1 km (0.62 mi) southwest of the village on the top of Chleiflüeli hill and Neu (or New)-Schauenburg to the west. Alt-Schauenburg was probably built around 1275 as the seat of a junior branch of the Schauenburg family. The castle was occupied for less than a century. The 1356 Basel earthquake destroyed much of the castle and shortly thereafter the ruins were abandoned. The ruins were gradually buried, until 1949-50 when they were excavated and repaired. In 1976-77 additional construction helped preserve the site.[2]

Origin of the name

Neu-Schauenburg was built before Alt-Schauenburg, but because Alt-Schauenburg was destroyed and abandoned first, it came to be known as the old or alt- castle.

Castle site

Many of the walls are still standing following the two conservation projects. The southern approach was guarded by a shield wall. One corner of the wall was protected by a semi-circular avant-corps. Inside the shield wall, the castle tower and residence hall were rectangular.

See also

References
  1. "Schauenburg Castle, Switzerland, Basel". Trip Tern. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  2. Schauenburg in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
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