Uetliburg Castle

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Uetliburg
The destruction of the Üetliburg in 1268 on an engraving by David Herrliberger (1714)

The destruction of the Üetliburg in 1268 on an engraving by David Herrliberger (1714)

Creation time : 10th century
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: Wall remains
Standing position : Free nobles
Construction: Bulb stones and boulders
Place: Stallikon ( Uetliberg )
Geographical location 47 ° 20 '58 "  N , 8 ° 29' 27"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 20 '58 "  N , 8 ° 29' 27"  E ; CH1903:  six hundred seventy-nine thousand five hundred and four  /  244,821
Height: 873  m above sea level M.
Uetliburg Castle (Canton of Zurich)
Uetliburg Castle

The Uetliburg ruin is the ruin of a hilltop castle at 873  m above sea level. M. in the south-western area of ​​the Uto Kulm summit plateau of Zurich's local mountain Uetliberg , in the area of ​​the municipality of Stallikon .

history

First fortifications on the Uetliberg

The witnesses from the 5th century BC, still clearly visible today. The prince's grave mound Sonnenbühl , which was built in the early La Tène period , and the imposing remains of an extensive rampart system from the older Iron or Hallstatt period , which are assigned to the oppidum Uetliberg , belong to the area. After the conquest of the area populated by the Celtic Helvetians around 15 BC. The construction of a Roman watchtower with a refuge at the highest point of the Uetliberg is assumed. It can be assumed that even after the Romans withdrew from the areas north of the Alps around the year 401, the Uetliberg continued to be strategically important for the Alemanni who settled in northern Switzerland , followed by the Carolingians and Ottonians ( Palatinate on the Lindenhof ) should be.

Stone castle in the 10th century

Until the first documented mention of the “ Uotelenburg ” in 1210, no historically reliable facts were available, in particular about the builders of the different settlement phases of the medieval Uetliburg. However, indications allow the following assumptions:

Whether the first builders of the early medieval castle, derived from the mountain name, with the 8th century Bavarian Duke Odilo or Duke (Gotfrid) Gottfried Uattilo or the Liudolfing emperors Otto I , Otto II or Otto III. are related is still unclear. At least the name U (o) to can be derived from the Old High German (Alemannic) word stem for possession / inheritance / assets or Uotilo , reducing for Uoto , Uodalrich (Ulrich) or Uatillo .

Certain coin finds also suggest that King Rudolf II of Hochburgund could have built an (unfinished) stone castle around 912–919 in order to secure an unsuccessful attempt to extend his sphere of influence to the south.

For the 10th century, a layer of rubble - presumably remains of a fortification - and evidence of building activity on the summit plateau Uto Kulm could be detected.

Another source leads to the assumption that by 1000 the barons of Sellenbüren that one its largely built of wood manor castle Sellenbüren , superior refuge could have built on the summit plateau.

Expansion of the Uetliburg in the 12th century

Around 1100 a mighty rampart and moat system was started in the northern apron of the summit plateau protected by steep rock walls and the construction of a stone castle was completed in the second half of the 12th century. Lüthold IV von Regensberg would be conceivable as the client .

«Eggen» of the Uto- Albiswall , Uetliburg and Manegg Castle protruding into the Sihl valley . Engraving presumably by J. M. Usteri (1763–1827), Zurich Central Library .
Map of the canton of Zurich by Jos Murer (1566). Detail with the castle areas Friesenberg, Üetliburg, Baldern, Manegg and Sellenbüren.
Remnants of the surrounding wall
Remains of the north wall

The “ Uotelenburg ” was first mentioned in a document around 1210 , but it was only late medieval Zurich chroniclers who assigned the Uotelenburg to the barons of Regensberg . Evidence suggests that the castles Friesenberg , Sellenbüren and Manegg served as strategic preliminary works to secure the Uetliberg castle complex, which was presumably heavily developed in the 13th century under the Regensbergers.

It has not been conclusively clarified whether the Uetliburg was destroyed by the Zurich residents in the Regensberg feud in 1267/1268 , which the archaeological findings cast doubt on. Interesting, if not documented, is the passage to storm Baldern Castle and Uetliburg in the legend of the cunning Habsburg about the course of the Regensberg feud.

Below the Hotel Uto Kulm, on the summit plateau of the Uetliberg, where the medieval Uetli Castle stood, remains of the inner rampart system can be seen. When the hotel was built, the last remains of the former castle were destroyed. In the early modern period there was a high watch (1620–1812) on the Uto Kulm and the remains of the Uetliburg either disappeared or were removed.

investment

The first excavations and soundings in the area of ​​the summit plateau were carried out in 1836–1839 during the construction of the Uetliberg guest house and spa and in 1866 by Ferdinand Keller . Afterwards, for example when the Uetlibergbahn was built in 1874 , a large number of finds from around 5,000 years of settlement history as well as the remains of the wall and the aforementioned protective wall of the medieval Uetliburg came to light. When a new phase of excavation work began on the Uetliberg in 1978, the summit plateau was systematically re-explored by the cantonal archeology of Zurich until 1989 due to extensive construction work - 1990 opening of the new Uetliberg observation tower and the expanded Uto Kulm restaurant and hotel - and the remaining defensive wall of the medieval Uetliburg excavated and preserved.

The plan of the former castle can not be longer possible to ascertain, as a result of construction activity since the beginning of the 19th century and probably some rockfalls - the last major was on 8 May 2004 in the case of grapeshot - reaching the summit plateau of from molasses and Nagelfluh existing Uetliberg since its first settlement significantly reduced in size.

Around 40 meters of the defensive wall and smaller remains of the wall have been preserved along the north-eastern edge of the plateau . Furthermore, remains of wooden structures and metal processing in the interior could be archaeologically proven. In the north, the protective wall and ditch below today's Uto Kulm restaurant are clearly visible. Other finds from this era include iron parts, coins, ceramics and almost completely preserved tube and beaker tiles from around 1200, which were placed in a dome furnace to increase the heat output.

literature

  • Irmgard Bauer, Lotti Frascoli, Heinz Pantli, Anita Siegfried, Thierry Weidmann, Renata Windler [et al.]: Uetliberg, Uto-Kulm: excavations 1980–1989 . Volume A (text volume) and Volume B (catalog, tables, lists). Monographs of Canton Archeology Zurich (Ed.), Zurich 1991. ISBN 3-905647-81-8 (both volumes), ISBN 3-905647-82-6 (text volume), ISBN 3-905647-83-4 (catalog, tables, Lists).
  • Walter Drack [et al.]: The Üetliberg . Silva-Verlag, Zurich 1984.
  • The castles and noble families of the districts of Zurich, Affoltern and Horgen . Based on a manuscript by Dr. Emil Stauber. Verlag Birkhäuser, Basel, 1955.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Timeline for the history of the Alemanni
  2. ↑ Rockslide in the Fallätsche ( Memento from August 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive )