Gaffer Tschinge ruins
| Gaffer Tschinge ruins | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alternative name (s): | Gaf (f) ertschinken, Gaverschinken, Grafenschlingen, tw. also Lauerhaus | |
| Creation time : | 13th century (probably) | |
| Castle type : | Höhenburg, hillside location | |
| Conservation status: | Ruin, remains of the wall | |
| Standing position : | Robber barons | |
| Place: | Erlenbach in the Simmental | |
| Geographical location | 46 ° 40 '14.8 " N , 7 ° 35' 1.4" O | |
| Height: | 1000 m above sea level M. | |
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The Gaffer Tschinge ruin is the ruin of a medieval hillside castle in the municipality of Erlenbach in the Simmental in the canton of Bern .
Location and description
The castle stood at 1000 m above sea level. M. high, 12 meters wide and 14 meters long Fluhabsatz of the Latterbachfluh in the hamlet Latterbach (formerly called Portfluh above Ausser-Latterbach ). On the south and east sides, the terrain drops so steeply that the castle was only accessible from the west. A stone enclosure wall 11 meters wide and 10 meters long can be seen. In front of it there is a 4 m long and 11 m wide castle square. The curtain wall was approx. 90 cm wide. In the south-eastern part of the square castle it can be assumed that there was a donjon . Thus, the ruin would be structured in a similar way to the Strättligen ruin and the original Wimmis Castle : A keep surrounded by a 90 cm thick curtain wall. So that a foundation by the Barons von Strättligen cannot be ruled out. Today the castle is difficult to access and can only be reached via a path known to some locals. At the bottom of the Fluh there are iron rings to which the robbers used to tie their horses, as some valley people reported.
Name interpretation
The name Gaffer Tschinge is derived from the ledge on which the castle stood. In old German Tschinge means something like rock or ledge . The term gaffer is still present in today's street language and could be interpreted as an observer. However, it is more likely to be assigned to the notarized Gafertschinken brothers ( Gaverschinken ).
history
The castle is not recorded in a document. In 1277, however, Anselm and Burkhard von Gafertschinken were named as witnesses in a document from the Därstetten monastery . The castle was probably built earlier, because at that time the lower Simmental was firmly in the hands of the barons of Weissenburg . A foundation by the barons of Strättligen can be assumed based on the architecture. It is not clear whether the castle had a guard function or whether it served as a refuge for the valley population. The castle was in visual contact with Grimmenstein Castle and Kronegg Castle near Diemtigen. Several legends mention the ruins of Gaffer Tschinge as a robber baron castle . In the legend of Rosenstein, the robbers of Gaffer Tschinge besiege the Heidenmauer castle and destroy it. The legend of the rider of Gafertschinken says that the robber baron still tyrannizes the valley and rides through the villages of the Simmental at night with his riders .
literature
- Albert Jahn: The canton of Bern, German part, described in antiquarian and topographical terms, with a list of the Helvetian and Roman antiquities and with reference to the oldest knighthood and church affairs, to the documented place names and the folk tales , Bern and Zurich 1850, p. 290 ff .
- Wilhelm Wellauer: News about controversial old castles in the Nidersimmental. In: Berner Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Heimatkunde , Vol. 2, Bern 1940, pp. 21–27
Web links
- Entry on the Gaffer Tschinge ruin in the private database “Alle Burgen”.