Archive tower (Schwyz)
The archive tower (or treasure tower ) is a medieval residential and administration tower in Schwyz . It later served as a prison and for centuries as the Schwyz state archive .
Location and description
The archive tower is located behind the town hall and next to the Wysses Rössli hotel. The forecourt is known as the Metzghofstatt. The tower has a square floor plan with a side length of 8.5 m. The walls are 2.1 m thick on the ground floor and 88 cm thick on the top floor. The three rectangular windows are one above the other on the west side, while the east side has no windows. The tower has a tent roof .
history
The tower is believed to have been built after 1200, in the early 13th century . It was the residence of a ministerial . The buildings of the associated homestead have disappeared.
In the early modern period there was a prison on the ground floor, above an archive for the letters of freedom and other documents . In 1936 the archive was moved to the new Federal Letter Museum, which offered more space and fire safety.
After that, the archive tower stood empty for about 15 years and was extensively renovated. A steep tent replaced the previous hipped roof . In 1953 a small tower museum was set up. Today the Bundesbriefmuseum uses a room in the tower as a medieval writing workshop for school classes.
literature
- Werner Meyer : Castles of Switzerland , Vol. 1, Silva-Verlag, Zurich 1981.
- Office for Culture (Ed.): Cultural assets in the State Archives of the Canton of Schwyz , Schwyz 2012, ISBN 978-3-033-03732-8 .