Kasteln Castle

Last updated
Kasteln Castle
Oberflachs
Oberflachs SchlossKasteln.jpg
Kasteln Castle
Switzerland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kasteln Castle
Coordinates 47°26′32.57″N8°07′08.87″E / 47.4423806°N 8.1191306°E / 47.4423806; 8.1191306
CodeCH-AG
Site information
Conditionpreserved
Site history
Built1238

Kasteln Castle (German : Schloss Kasteln) is a castle in the municipality of Oberflachs in Canton Aargau, Switzerland. It is located west of the village on a rocky outcrop, surrounded by vineyards and woods. Today, it serves as a boarding school for students with behavioral problems. The immediately adjacent castle Ruchenstein was demolished in 1643, when the small fort was rebuilt into a Schloss Kasteln.

Contents

History

Kasteln castle in 1860 Schloss Kasteln 1860.jpg
Kasteln castle in 1860

About 1200 the original fortress Kasteln was built in the middle Schenkenberger valley, a few kilometers away from Schenkenberg Castle. In 1238 the castle is first mentioned in a deed of gift to the residents of the castle who were vassals of the Kyburgs. In 1262 Ruchenstein castle was built on the cliff directly behind the fort for the Knight of Ruchenstein. After the extinction of the Kyburg line in 1264, the castle came under the power of the House of Habsburg. Then in 1301 the Ruchenstein line died out, ten years after they had been given the fort as a gift by the Habsburgs. Both castles were acquired by the lords of Mülinen from Brugg. From here, they ruled over a small area on the southern edge of the Jura.

The castle belonged to the family of Mülinen until 1631 when Johann Ludwig von Erlach bought both castles. [1] The Bernese patrician and general ordered the reconstruction of the castle in 1642 to a representative of manor house. Ruchenstein castle was demolished a year later and served as a building material supplier. Because the builder had no previous expertise, and the client was mostly absent, the conversion proved to be expensive and lasted until 1650. After about a century in the possession of the family of Erlach, in 1732 Bern bought the little bailiwick for 90,000 Taler. [1] It was the smallest bailiwick of the Bernese Aargau, consisting of the villages Auenstein, Oberflachs, Schinznach (now Schinznach-Bad and Schinznach-Dorf) and Villnachern.

After the fall of the Ancien Régime and the Act of Mediation in 1803, the bailiwick came into possession of the newly formed canton of Aargau. The castle was sold in 1836 to a private citizen. In 1855 the brothers Frederick and Louis Carnival of Aarau acquired the property and opened a "rescue institution for orphans and neglected pupils" of the Reformed denomination. On 24 August 1907 one of the pupils set the castle and adjacent barn on fire. Both buildings suffered heavy damage and had to be rebuilt. It wasn't until 1909 that the Institute started operations in the manor again.

The Institute received the status of a foundation in 1923 and was converted in 1955 in a boarding school for students with behavioral problems. In 1969 next to the castle they built a second school building, swimming pool and a staff house. The entire castle was extensively renovated in 2009 inside and out and adapted to the current needs of the social education.

Building

Kasteln is the only uniform baroque palace built in the Aargau. The current design is mainly due to the modifications under Johann Ludwig von Erlach. At the core is a four-story medieval castle with two-story wings, from 1642–50, to the east and west. The wings were built partly from material from the demolished castle Ruchenstein. The unusually rich interior of the castle in 1907 was lost in the fire.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aargau</span> Canton of Switzerland

Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capital is Aarau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canton of Bern</span> Canton of Switzerland

The canton of Bern, or Berne, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the de facto capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the canton, displayed on a red-yellow background.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenzburg Castle</span> Castle in Lenzburg in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland

Lenzburg Castle is a castle located above the old part of the town of Lenzburg in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland. It ranks among the oldest and most important of Switzerland. The castle stands on the almost circular castle hill, which rises approximately 100 m (330 ft) over the surrounding plain but is only about 250 m (820 ft) in diameter. The oldest parts of the castle date to the 11th century, when the Counts of Lenzburg built it as their seat. The castle, its historical museum and the castle hill with its Neolithic burial grounds are listed as heritage sites of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberflachs</span> Former municipality in Aargau, Switzerland

Oberflachs is a former municipality in the district of Brugg in Canton Aargau in Switzerland. It is located about 6 km south west of the town of Brugg. On 1 January 2014 the former municipalities of Oberflachs and Schinznach-Dorf merged into the new municipality of Schinznach.

The Kyburg family was a noble family of grafen (counts) in the Duchy of Swabia, a cadet line of the counts of Dillingen, who in the late 12th and early 13th centuries ruled the County of Kyburg, corresponding to much of what is now Northeastern Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brunegg Castle</span>

Brunegg castle is a castle in the municipality of Brunegg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aarburg Castle</span> Castle in Aargau, Switzerland

Aarburg Castle is a castle in the municipality of Aarburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. It is located high above the town Aarburg on a steep, rocky hillside. The castle was built around a medieval castle, which controlled the narrow point on the Aare river and served as the seat of Aarburg Vogt. It is classified as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. Today it houses the Kantonale Jugendheim, for holding and rehabilitating juvenile offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reichenbach Castle</span>

Reichenbach castle is located in Zollikofen, about 5 kilometres north of Bern. The castle was founded as a medieval fort, probably built on the site of an earlier Roman fort, on the river Aar. The medieval castle was later rebuilt in the Baroque style. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stein Castle, Aargau</span>

Stein Castle is a castle ruin above the municipality of Baden in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burgdorf Castle</span> Castle in Burgdorf, Bern, Switzerland

Burgdorf Castle is a castle in the municipality of Burgdorf in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberhofen Castle</span>

Oberhofen Castle is a castle in the municipality of Oberhofen of the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiez Castle</span> Historic site in Spiez

Spiez Castle is a castle in the municipality of Spiez of the Swiss canton of Bern. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thun Castle</span> Historic site in Thun

Thun Castle is a castle in the city of Thun, in the Swiss canton of Bern. It was built in the 12th century, today houses the Thun Castle museum, and is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schinznach</span> Municipality in Aargau, Switzerland

Schinznach is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland. On 1 January 2014 the former municipalities of Oberflachs and Schinznach-Dorf merged to form the new municipality of Schinznach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Böttstein Castle</span> Château

Böttstein Castle is a castle in the municipality of Böttstein in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liebegg Castle</span> Castle in Gränichen, Aargau

Liebegg Castle is a small castle in the municipality of Gränichen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. It is located on a outcropping about 70 meters (230 ft) above the Wynental valley floor. The current castle grew out of a medieval castle. A cantonal agricultural school opened in 1958 near the castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trostburg Castle</span> Castle in Teufenthal, Aargau, Switzerland

Trostburg Castle is a small castle in the municipality of Teufenthal in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auenstein Castle</span> Castle in Switzerland

Auenstein Castle is a castle in the municipality of Auenstein in the Swiss canton of Aargau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biberstein Castle</span>

Biberstein Castle is a castle in the municipality of Biberstein in the Swiss canton of Aargau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muri Castle</span>

Muri Castle is a castle in the municipality of Muri in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

References

  1. 1 2 Kasteln (AG) in German , French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.