#castles #castle ruins #history #medieval times #Switzerland
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In this video with drone footage, we tell the story of Dorneck Castle. It was once a powerful fortress that served as an outpost for the people of Solothurn. Here at Dornach, the decisive battle in the Swabian War also took place. In this battle, the Swiss Confederates defeated the imperial army in 1499.
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Dorneck Castle, which lies on a rocky promontory above Dornach, was once a mighty bulwark. It secured the region against threats for centuries. The ruins of the castle, which is about 100 meters long and 50 meters wide, are still impressive today and a popular destination for hikers.
There is still a lot to see. The keep, the palace and a tower date back to the 13th century. The inner bailey, the chapel tower and another tower were built in 1500. There are also a small and a large bulwark, the powder tower from 1543, the ring wall and other buildings.
The first castle on this place, was probably built in the 11th century. At that time, these lands belonged to the possession of the Freemen of Pfeffingen. After that it passed to the Counts of Saugern, who were related to the Pfeffingers. Around 1180 the family died out. Now the castle was inherited by the Counts of Tierstein.
In the middle of the 13th century, they probably built the first parts of the complex that is still visible today. These are massive walls in the area of the large bulwark.
The original complex was much more compact and was located on the highest point of the area. The large courtyard was probably added in the 14th century.
In 1356 the great Basel earthquake occurred. Although the castle was damaged in the earthquake, it was soon repaired and even expanded.
In 1360, Count Sigmund II of Tierstein-Farnsburg sold the castle to Duke Rudolf IV of Austria. The latter, however, returned the castle to him as a hereditary fief. In the feudal system of the time, this was a common procedure to place oneself under the protection of a more powerful patron. Half of the village of Dornach and the settlement of Gempen also belonged to the castle. The castle is mentioned in writing for the first time during this trade. After Sigmund's death, his widow finally sold the castle outright to the Habsburgs in 1384.
After their defeat at the Battle of Sempach, the Habsburgs were left with a mountain of debt. Therefore, in 1394, they pledged Dorneck Castle to Henmann von Efringen, a citizen of Basel, for 2000 gulden. However, the Habsburgs reserved the right to open the castle in order to be able to use it in case of war. They were never to be able to redeem the pledge.
The lords of Efringen, who soon rose to the knightly nobility, owned the castle for a long time. In the middle of the 15th century they needed money and partially pledged the castle to their relative Konrad von Hallwyl. At this time they had the outer castle with the middle gate extended.
The second half of the village of Dornach, which until then still belonged to the Tiersteiners, finally also came into the possession of the Efringers in 1462. Shortly thereafter, the brothers Bernhard and Henmann von Efringen got into a dispute over the division of the property. The castle finally went to Bernhard, who, however, sold it to the city of Solothurn in 1485. This gave the city an important outpost in the fight with Basel for control of the trade routes across the Jura.
At that time, the castle was in a bad condition and it was started to restore it. Then the Swabian War broke out. The work was still in full swing when imperial troops besieged the castle in 1499. But the Swiss Confederates rushed to the scene in time and defeated the attackers on July 22 in the battle of Dornach, which decided the war. The damage was repaired in the same year.
Over the next 300 years, the people of Solothurn expanded the castle into a mighty fortress. Around 60 bailiffs resided here.
Thanks to strong troops and good armament, Dorneck survived the Thirty Years' War of 1618 - 1648 unscathed.
However, the invasion of the French in 1798 meant the end of the fortress. Dorneck was heavily damaged by artillery fire and conquered. The soldiers looted the castle and made it useless for military purposes.
Afterwards, the ruins served as a quarry until the citizens of Dornach donated the site to the canton of Solothurn in 1902. The remaining ruins were conserved in the following years. Since 1970, the Solothurn preservation of historical monuments has taken care of the once mighty fortress.
More info: www.dornach.ch...
9 сен 2024
