Grottenstein Castle

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Grottenstein Castle
Remains of the fortress wall

Remains of the fortress wall

Alternative name (s): Krottenstein
Creation time : around 1180
Castle type : Cave castle / valley hill castle
Conservation status: ruin
Construction: Quarry stone
Place: Haldenstein
Geographical location 46 ° 53 '2 "  N , 9 ° 31' 22"  E Coordinates: 46 ° 53 '2 "  N , 9 ° 31' 22"  E ; CH1903:  758,837  /  194,639
Height: 840  m
Grottenstein Castle (Canton of Graubünden)
Grottenstein Castle
In the center of the picture at the foot of the rock face the location of Grottenstein

The castle cave stone is the ruin of a rock castle in the village of Haldenstein in the Swiss canton of Grisons .

location

The ruin is located in the south of the municipality in a spacious balme (rock ledge) at the foot of the rock face of Calanda . It is next to the castle Lichtenstein and the castle Haldenstein one of the three strongholds of the community. It can be easily reached in half an hour from the village via a narrow road (no driving) and a mountain path.

Surname

The name of the castle appears for the first time in the chroniclers Fortunat Sprecher (1617) and Nicolin Sererhard (1742) as Crottenstein or Krottenstein . The derogatory name may refer to the toads, Swiss German Chrotte or Khrotta ( Bündnerdeutsch ), which found shelter under the rocky outcrop.

A medieval connection with the word grotto is not possible because the word was only adopted later, towards the end of the 15th century, from the Italian word grotta into German and later into Romansh .

investment

The 1.7 meter thick front wall made of quarry stone is still preserved over a length of 22 meters. On one side the wall was built directly onto the rock, on the other side a wall angle can be assumed. At a height of 5 meters there was a high entrance , a beam canal is still preserved. The back wall of the cave is not processed. There is a spring inside the grotto.

history

Grottenstein was first mentioned in a document in 1672. Presumably, due to its location, it belonged to the early possessions of the Lords of Lichtenstein, first mentioned in 1180. The question of the chronological order of the castle building cannot be answered without archaeological excavations. The two branches of the Lichtenstein and Haldenstein families were located at the nearby castles Lichtenstein and Haldenstein. The Knights of Lichtenstein died out around 1275, the Haldensteiners, who were closely related to them, died out in 1381. It is conceivable that Grottenstein only served as a refuge in times of war.

gallery

  • Wall, direction SW

  • inside, remains of the high entrance

  • Narrow notch

  • Look outside

literature

  • Otto P. Clavadetscher, Werner Meyer : The castle book of Graubünden . Orell Füssli, Zurich 1984, ISBN 3-280-01319-4 .
  • Heinrich Boxler, naming castles in north-eastern Switzerland and in Graubünden , Huber Verlag, Frauenfeld 1976
  • Castle map of Switzerland, 2007 edition, Federal Office of Topography / Swiss Castle Association
  • Anton von Castelmur: "The castles and palaces of the Canton of Graubünden", Volume I, Birkhäuser-Verlag, Basel 1940

Web links

Commons : Burg Grottenstein  - Collection of images, videos and audio files