Alt-Ramschwag ruins
| Alt-Ramschwag ruins | ||
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 View of the keep and the entrance |
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| Alternative name (s): | Ramswag, Rabenstein | |
| Creation time : | probably around 1200 | |
| Castle type : | Spurburg | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Place: | Häggenschwil | |
| Geographical location | 47 ° 29 '23.9 " N , 9 ° 19' 20" O | |
| Height: | 566 m above sea level M. | |
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The Alt-Ramschwag ruin is a castle ruin in the eastern part of the municipality of Häggenschwil in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen .
etymology
Below the ruin there is a «Wâg» of the Sitterlauf. In the Middle Ages, this term was understood to mean standing, deep water. However, it could also be a pond or pool-like waterhole on the hill east of the castle.
The St. Gallen castle researcher Gottlieb Felder gives three theories about the meaning of the first syllable.
- The Alt-Ramschwag was also called Rabenstein on maps from earlier centuries. Ramschwag would, according to this interpretation, consist of the words Rammis (raven) and Wâg (standing, deep water). According to this theory, the name comes from the romantic sight of the castle surrounded by ravens.
- The “Ram” could also refer to the Central German word “hramsa” (wild garlic), which may have grown here in the past.
- The «Wâg» could also have been named after a man in whose name the name of the raven (Rammis), sacred to Odin, is the first or second component. In this case it could be the Wâg des Rambert, Bertram or Wolfram.
location
The Alt-Ramschwag was built on a plateau above the Sitter . From the southeast, the castle is protected from a storm attack by a steep rock face. The north side is also storm-free thanks to a deep tub. The eastern side is protected by a neck ditch that stretches from the tub to the rock face.
history
Edification
Gottlieb Felder cites the following theory about the origins of the castle: Above the castle is the hamlet of Kollerberg, which was once called Sattelberg. According to Grimm's dictionary , Sattelberg means the same as Sedelberg and denotes a country estate that is free of duty and duty, but actually the residence of a free man who can be judged. When the circumstances of the time required it, or when it became appropriate for a wealthy man to own a castle, he looked for a suitable building site and found an ideal location at the current location of the Alt-Ramschwag. The wealthy Sattelberger, now lord of the castle, would have given himself the name "von Ramswag". From this the noble and knight dynasty of the Lords of Ramschwag could in turn have emerged.
Architectural features such as the simple chipped edge indicate that the castle was built shortly after AD 1200. This is supported by the addition of the curtain wall , which was carried out in the same work step. Other sources estimate the time the castle was built between the years 926 and 1150. In 1176 an Ulrich de Rammiswag appears for the first time in a Constance document. The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1370, when Rudolf von Rosenberg-Zuckenriet got the castle through marriage.
Middle Ages and Early Modern Times
The owners of the castle were servants of the abbots of St. Gallen . It can be assumed that the garbage people established a clearing rule. This should have happened as early as the 12th century. Through marriage in 1370 the castle came into the hands of Rudolf von Rosenberg-Zuckenriet, who in 1398 acquired citizenship of the city of St. Gallen. At that time, the state of Appenzell and the city of St. Gallen were at war with the Abbey of St. Gallen and Austria . Thanks to his neutral stance, Rudolf von Rosenberg-Zuckenriet was able to protect his property and thus also the Alt-Ramschwag from destruction. His relatives Heinrich Walter and Eberhard von Ramschwag, on the other hand, were involved in all disputes on the abbot side.
In 1427 Rudolf von Rosenberg-Zuckenriet sold the castle to Ulrich and Burkard von Helmsdorf, southern German aristocrats who owned large estates in Thurgau . The castle remained in Helmensdorf's possession until 1490. Towards the end of the 15th century, the castle suffered from landslides. From now on the fortress was only habitable under danger and no longer fulfilled its original purpose. It was therefore sold with other goods to the farmer Hans Rudolf Koller. He sold everything that could be dismantled, such as the woodwork, which means the upper storeys and the other wooden structures.
Secured by the Swiss Castle Association
The castle, which has since fallen into ruin, was damaged, among other things, by a crack above the archway, as well as the threat of the owner "to blow the tower down into the Sitter ??" endangered. So it was finally bought by the architect Müller from Häggenschwil and master builder Thaler from Waldkirch. Both were members of the Swiss Castle Association . They commissioned the work to secure the ruin. They received support from the Swiss Castle Association. During the excavation for stones to repair the damaged walls, the foundations of previously completely unknown buildings came to light. These were residential and economic buildings. Stone balls, arrowheads, fittings, stove tiles, shards of vessels and animal bones were found during the work. The excavation and conservation work lasted from 1930 to 1932.
The renovation of the castle cost almost 20,000 francs. Adjusted for inflation, this corresponds to a total of around CHF 130,000 (as of 2017). The “Näfen-Burgfonds” of the old Council of States and Government Councilor Näf made a contribution of 6,000. In addition, three private individuals donated 4,000 francs. The federal government made a contribution of 2,000 francs. It is not known how the remaining amount was raised. The canton of St. Gallen may, however, be involved, as a plaque with the following inscription was placed on the restored gate: "MCMXXXII saved from further disintegration and placed under federal protection with the help of the federal government, canton, historical association and private individuals".
Purchase by the municipality of Häggenschwil
On March 26, 2013, the Thaler family of building contractors sold the ruins with 6000 m 2 of forest for 35,000 francs to the municipality of Häggenschwil .
description
Access to the castle was via a drawbridge that spanned the moat in the east of the castle. Originally there were two other trenches, but they are no longer visible today. The wall was built from stones from the nearby Sitter. The surfaces were once plastered with a grout mortar to make them look like stone. The dungeon could be entered via the north face by a high input standsteinernem arch, which can be seen at a height of about 8 meters today. At the same level there is a formerly linked arched window with sandstone walls . Underneath, there are louvers covered with horizontal sandstone slabs.
On the side of the keep was once the gate that led to the castle courtyard. The castle can still be entered through the gate, but the drawbridge has not been preserved. Remains of the former abutments can still be found on the opposite side of the moat.
The castle courtyard was protected on all sides by a curtain wall, which today has partly crashed into the Sitter. To the east, the castle is protected by a 10 meter high shield wall . Today, the foundation walls of residential or commercial buildings can still be found.
Picture gallery
Exterior view of the keep and the shield wall of the Alt-Ramschwag ruin
Access to the Alt-Ramschwag ruin with remains of the wall
Memorial plaque on the occasion of securing the Alt-Ramschwag ruins
Entrance to the Alt-Ramschwag ruin
Keep of the Alt-Ramschwag ruin
Shield wall with keep of the Alt-Ramschwag ruin
Hole in the keep of the Alt-Ramschwag ruin
View from the south of the Alt-Ramschwag ruins
literature
- Gottlieb Felder: The castles of the cantons of St. Gallen and Appenzell. First part ( New Year's Gazette of the Historical Association of the Canton of St. Gallen. ) Verlag der Fehr'schen Buchhandlung, St. Gallen 1907, p. 28.
- Eduard Brachetto: Mysterious Witnesses of the Middle Ages. The 70 largest and most beautiful castle ruins in Switzerland. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2007, ISBN 978-3-8370-0010-8 , pp. 14-16.
- Fritz Hauswirth: Castles and Palaces of Switzerland. Volume 2, St. Gallen, Appenzell, Principality of Liechtenstein. Gaissberg Verlag, Kreuzlingen 1965, pp. 65-66
- Hugo Schneider: Castles of Switzerland. Volume 6, Cantons of St. Gallen, Thurgau, Appenzell. Silva Verlag, Zurich 1983, pp. 21-22.
- JH Farnum: 20 excursions to romantic castle ruins in Switzerland. A Hallwag guide. Hallwag, Bern 1976, ISBN 3-444-10-174-0 , pp. 138-141.
- Hermann Meili (Hrsg.): Castles, palaces and castle lords of Eastern Switzerland. Fritz Meili Verlag, Trogen 1970, pp. 38-39.
- Ernst Götzinger: Here we go to the Buechlin of the gentlemen from Ramswage. Printed by Emil Zollikofer, St. Gallen 1872.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gottlieb Felder: The castles of the cantons of St. Gallen and Appenzell . Third part. Buchdruckerei H. Tschudy & Co., St. Gallen 1942, p. 21-22 .
- ↑ Alexander Thaler: The nobles of Ramswag . In: History of the community of Häggenschwil . Self-published by the Häggenschwil loan office, Häggenschwil 1972, p. 12-13 .
- ↑ Hermann Meili (ed.): Castles, palaces and castle lords of Eastern Switzerland . Verlag Fritz Meili, Trogen 1970, p. 38 .
- ^ Benno Gämperle: The antique in the forest . In: www.tagblatt.ch . August 5, 2013. www.tagblatt.ch, August 5, 2013
