Fürstenau Episcopal Palace

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Fürstenau Castle, view from the west

The Castle Fürstenau , formerly known as the "Bishop's Castle" or "Lower Castle", is in Fuerstenau , the smallest town in Switzerland. Together with the Schloss Schauenstein or “Upper Castle”, it originally formed part of the medieval fortifications.

history

Front of the Fürstenau Castle

The construction of the first fortification goes back to the reign of Chur Bishop Heinrich I von Montfort in the period around 1272. It received royal city rights in 1354. The square keep on the eastern corner with a side length of around ten meters has been preserved from that early period. Medieval housing is believed to be in the southwest.

In 1635, master Magnus Tauscher from the Allgäu built a roof structure which, with its length of 62 shoes, corresponded to the length of the castle without the tower. No views of this castle have survived. Major renovations took place under Bishop Ulrich VII von Federspiel between 1709 and 1711. There are no images of this either. An assumption that a "demolition" shows the castle could not be confirmed in archaeological excavations. The city fire of October 27, 1742 caused devastating damage, especially in the tower. The reconstruction took place under Bishop Benedikt von Rost, the castle got its present appearance. Most of the magnificent stucco ceilings also stem from this renovation.

Fürstenau Castle was the administrative center of the episcopal rule in Domleschg and on Heinzenberg . The bishop often resided in Fürstenau and issued documents; In addition, the interest from the Domleschg area had to be delivered here. He also enjoyed hunting from Fürstenau Castle.

The castle lost its importance as the seat of a prince shortly after its reconstruction, and the cathedral apartment was portrayed in poor condition. From 1802 the castle was to be sold, only the title "Herr von Fürstenau" was to remain with the bishop. However, the sale did not take place. In 1840 the diocese rented the building to the canton of Graubünden for a labor education institution. When the institution was moved to Realta, the castle stood empty for a few years. From 1855 it was used as a food house for young people under Father Theodosius Florentini ; after 1871 it housed a secondary school.

On August 20, 1877, the diocese sold the castle to the merchant Peter (Conradin) von Planta , who had already bought the neighboring Schloss Schauenstein in 1863. He had the episcopal coat of arms above the entrance replaced with his own. In 1878 he set up the first rural hospital in Graubünden. In 1896 he gave it to his son Gaudenz von Planta, who together with his newlywed wife Jenny von Planta-Vischer renovated it extensively. Mr. Chiodera from the Zurich architects Chiodera und Tschudy was entrusted with the renovation work. The historicist furnishings with panels and floors that still exist today turned the former inn and hospital into an elegant family seat. Particularly noteworthy is the installation of the large windows and the new winter garden above a loggia with garden access.

The von Planta family sold the castle in 1941 to Rudolf Schöller, who sold it on to Emser Werke in 1961 . In 1983 the Calonder family took over. Fürstenau Castle has been owned by Guido Hager and David Hauptmann since 2016. It is privately inhabited and will be extensively restored in 2018. Numerous well-known specialists, mainly from the region, are involved. The epochs of Rococo and Historicism should be preserved. Electric, heating, bathrooms and kitchen will be renewed. Most attention is paid to the new covering of the dilapidated roof. A cold roof remains and is covered again with yellow tiles, as yellow as the oldest tiles still in existence.

gallery

  • Garden in the southwest

  • View from the southwest

  • Entrance gate

literature

  • Otto P. Clavadetscher, Werner Meyer : The castle book of Graubünden. Orell Füssli, Zurich et al. 1984, ISBN 3-280-01319-4 .
  • Fritz Hauswirth: Castles and palaces in Switzerland. Volume 9: Graubünden. Part 2: (Southern Grisons) and Ticino. Neptun-Verlag, Kreuzlingen 1973.
  • Ludmila Seifert, Leza Dosch: Art guide through Graubünden. Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2008, ISBN 978-3-85881-216-2 .

Web links

Commons : Bischöfliches Schloss (Fürstenau)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ History of Fürstenau

Coordinates: 46 ° 43 '15.9 "  N , 9 ° 26' 42.1"  E ; CH1903:  seven hundred and fifty-three thousand three hundred and seventy-six  /  176391