Nivagl Castle

Nivagl Castle
Nivagl Castle location
Alternative name (s):	Löwenburg
Creation time :	around 1000
Castle type :	Hilltop castle
Conservation status:	Burgstall, small remains
Place:	Vaz / Obervaz
Geographical location	46 ° 41 '19 "  N , 9 ° 31' 58"  E Coordinates: 46 ° 41 '19 "  N , 9 ° 31' 58"  E ; CH1903:  760179  /  172959
Height:	1031  m above sea level M.

The castle Nivagl (sometimes Nivaigl or Löwenburg ) was the hamlet Nivagl south of the village Zorten in the Swiss canton of Grisons in the municipality of Vaz / Obervaz . The castle was the oldest seat of the barons of Vaz , one of the most powerful noble families in the Alpine region. The Vazer are documented from around 1135 to 1338.

location

The abandoned hilltop castle stood at 1031  m above sea level. M. on the elongated hill " Bot la Cheua ", surrounded on three sides by the steep ravine of the Haidbach, immediately west of the road from Zorten to Alvaschein . Artificial obstacles in the form of trenches were created in the south-eastern fore .

investment

No wall remains of the extensive complex are visible above the ground; the scanty remains that Meyer / Clavadetscher mention are overgrown today. In 1980, extensive exploratory drilling was carried out. The oldest building from the 10th or early 11th century has been proven to be a wooden house with a fireplace as well as a first curtain wall and trenches. From the 11th century, the remains of a square stone house with a side length of approx. 9 m were found on the highest hill, which was later reinforced with a wall, probably for the purpose of adding another storey to a tower. Around 1100 the stone house was restored after a fire. Another outer curtain wall and outbuildings were built. Around 1200 the tower was laid down and the walls included in a residential building.

The abundant small finds such as small fragments of chain armor , gilded costume parts and traces of fresco painting suggest that the residents are in an upscale position. The finds are exhibited in the Rhaetian Museum in Chur. The castle seems to have been abandoned around 1250, there were no signs of violence. The masonry was gradually removed and probably used as building material in the area.

The remains of the wall were filled in again after the excavations were completed, as the financial means for conservation were not available.

history

The hamlet of Nivagl. At the bottom right the hill of the castle

Written documents about the construction of the facility are missing; they only begin after it has been abandoned: After Donat von Vaz's death around 1337, there was an argument about whether the large Meierhof in Vaz was owned by Vaz or a fiefdom from Chur . Nivagl Castle is not listed in the “Buoch der Vestinen” from 1410 of the Chur bishopric .

The closure of the Nivagl complex coincides with the construction of Belfort Castle , which became the most important center of the Vazer rule in the Albula valley . Nivagl seems to have been given up in favor of Belfort.

literature

• Otto P. Clavadetscher, Werner Meyer : The castle book of Graubünden . Zurich 1984, ISBN 3-280-01319-4
• Castle map of Switzerland , Federal Office of Topography, 2007 edition

Web links

Commons : Burg Nivagl  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jürg Simonett: Schin. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . October 18, 2012 , accessed June 6, 2019 .
2. ↑ Picture ( Memento of the original from January 18, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.