Reichenstein Castle (Switzerland)

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Reichenstein Castle
Reichenstein Castle

Reichenstein Castle

Creation time : First mentioned in 1239
Castle type : Höhenburg, spur location
Conservation status: receive
Place: Arlesheim
Geographical location 47 ° 29 '48.5 "  N , 7 ° 37' 44.6"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 29 '48.5 "  N , 7 ° 37' 44.6"  E ; CH1903:  614 350  /  260690
Height: 460  m
Reichenstein Castle (Canton of Basel-Country)
Reichenstein Castle

The under monument protection standing Burg Reichenstein is a high medieval Spur castle in the Swiss municipality of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Land .

location

The castle is located above or northeast of the village center of Arlesheim at 460  m above sea level. M. on a rock spur of the Reichensteiner mountain. On the south side it is protected by a natural depression and on the other sides by rock walls. You can see the compactly built castle from the Birstal between the trees. It can be easily reached on the road from Arlesheim to Schönmatt (junction at the level of Birseck Castle: signpost) by car or on foot.

About 200 meters south on the same ridge there was another medium-sized castle , the Mittel-Birseck (castrum medium). This actually consisted of two fortifications, which were abandoned early on and are no longer historically comprehensible (only very small remains of the wall). The second fortification, the ruins of the rear castle , is located a little further south above the "hollow rock" (also known as "Holi Felse"). Around 500 meters as the crow flies south of Reichenstein Castle is Birseck Castle - also called the lower or front castle .

investment

The complex was and is dominated by a residential tower to which a slightly higher keep is built to the south . This donjon has such a small clear width that it could hardly be inhabited, but had to protect the residential tower with its 2 meter thick walls. The residential tower - the 'upper house' - had four storeys, which must have been partly habitable, but partly also served as a cellar for storage (crushed into the limestone rock). In a later construction phase, a 'lower house' was added to the residential tower: The purpose and equipment of this presumably two-story building can no longer be understood.

history

The original

Reichenstein Castle was built - together with the middle Birseckburg - around 1200 by the Counts of Frohburg in order to be able to expand their sphere of influence into the Birseck. The castle is first mentioned in 1239 as "Castrum Birseke superior", as "Upper Birseckburg". However, the advance of the Frohburgers into Birseck failed and so Ludwig von Frohburg ceded the castles to the Bishop of Basel in 1245 . The bishop then gave the northern, upper castle to the dynasty of the empire as a fief , which led to the name Reichenstein . For the next five generations, the Reichs belonged to the Basel Council between 1250 and 1400 , and provided six mayors and even a bishop of the diocese of Basel in the city of Basel. The close interweaving of the empire with the duchy of Basel can also be seen in the fact that Peter Reich held the office of bishop of Basel from 1286 to 1296 : In addition to the 'upper castle', the 'middle castle' was also given to the empire as a fiefdom . As always, it should be noted that the castles were given as fiefdoms, but the interests of the nobility on the associated goods (e.g. businesses, land), income (e.g. taxes) and rights (e.g. . Jurisprudence) lay.

Reichenstein Castle

In 1356, the Basel earthquake also damaged Reichenstein Castle, but the Reich family repaired it. The 'middle castle' was probably abandoned before the earthquake.

In the 15th century, the empires broke away from the city of Basel and also neglected Reichenstein Castle. In the 16th century, Solothurn tried - as part of its expansion policy to the north - and the city of Basel - in return - to acquire the castle, which was still habitable, but neither succeeded. During the 17th century the castle fell into disrepair, although the ruin remained in the possession of the Reich family as an episcopal fief until the principality of Basel was dissolved in connection with the French Revolution . In 1813 the ruin and the forest were sold to Johann-Rudolf Forcart-Weiss and inherited in 1834 by Achilles Forcart-Iselin and in 1844 by Forcart-Weiss & Burckhardt-Wildt (later Burckhardt & Co). J. Brodbeck-Sandreuter bought the ruins and forest in 1932.

the second Life

Brodbeck then had the castle rebuilt according to plans by the famous castle researcher and architect Eugen Probst from Zurich , while Hans Ryhiner took care of the interior work . However, the reconstruction was limited to the defense tower that Brodbeck used as a summer residence. The reconstruction was carried out without historical and archaeological investigation, destroyed the original building fabric and followed closely the romantic ideas of Eugen Probst: Accordingly, today's castle shows only parts of a realistic, historical condition.

The castle complex can be reached today from the parking lot over a wooden bridge and through a castle gate. From this inner courtyard you enter the residential tower through the entrance, which is partly carved into the rock. On the second floor there is a large knight's hall and above it the tower room, from which you can enjoy a fantastic panoramic view of the Birstal, the Vosges and into the Black Forest .

View from below

In 1938 the owner set up a family foundation , which was converted into a public law foundation in 1972 , which has looked after and used the castle ever since.

Current usage

Reichenstein Castle can be rented by the foundation for events of up to 50 people (contact: Arlesheim municipal administration), with weddings , family celebrations, birthday parties, conferences , meetings, company events and even civil weddings being popular.

Literature and plans

  • Werner Meyer : Castles from A to Z. Burgenlexikon der Regio. Published by the Castle Friends of both Basels on the occasion of their 50th anniversary. Klingental printing works, Basel 1981, pp. 122–123.
  • Eugen Probst: Original plans for the reconstruction of Reichenstein Castle 1932/33, Swiss Castle Archives , Basel.
  • Carl Roth: The castles and palaces of the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft . Birkhäuser, Basel 1932.

See also

Web links

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

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Burgenwelt: Rear Birseck Castle
  2. ^ H. Baur: Hans E. Ryhiner BSA . In: The work . tape 21 , no. 9 , 1944, pp. XVII ( e-periodica.ch ).