Grandson Castle
| Grandson Castle | ||
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 Grandson Castle |
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| Alternative name (s): | Château de Grandson | |
| Creation time : | 1050 | |
| Conservation status: | Renovated | |
| Place: | Grandson | |
| Geographical location | 46 ° 48 '32 " N , 6 ° 38' 46" E | |
| Height: | 447 m above sea level M. | |
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The Grandson Castle is a castle in the Vaud commune Grandson on Lake Neuchatel in Switzerland .
Description and location
Grandson Castle has five tall round towers without machicolations and battlements. The only exterior structure is the Burgundy Tower, which is square at the bottom and round in the upper third. Lake Neuchâtel, whose water level used to be higher, reached up to the wall.
Along with Chillon Castle , Grandson is one of the most impressive Swiss fortresses of the Middle Ages . It is a part of the old town , which impresses with its narrow streets, venerable house facades and historical monuments.
The castle as well as the exhibits belong to the “Foundation for Art, Culture and History” of the Winterthur real estate king Bruno Stefanini .
Today a torture chamber with instruments from that time can be seen in the castle. The knight's hall has renaissance stalls . The armory contains a rich collection of items from the time of the Burgundian Wars. The exhibition includes historical weapons and armor , in particular crossbows , guns and experimental combat equipment. A museum is dedicated to the Battle of Grandson , in which, among other things, a model with 2,200 lead soldiers can be seen. Another museum is equipped with castle models and battle plans.
There is also a museum for regional history, which particularly focuses on the importance of the lake for the region. A white Rolls-Royce from 1927 that once belonged to Greta Garbo can be seen in the classic car museum . The famous painting "The Virgin with the Rose" by Jan Massys (16th century) hangs in the new chapel from 1962 . The feudal court prison with its dungeon is located in the basement.
The castle includes two hectares of vineyards on Lake Neuchâtel on the grounds of the Concise community .
history
The original castle was built by the Lords of Grandson around 1050. The first written mention of the place under the name Granzio dates from this time (1049) . The castle was first mentioned around 1100. A new building was built in the 13th century.
On February 19, 1476, Charles the Bold began the siege of Grandson Castle with his 20,000-strong army. Just nine days later, the crew had to surrender due to a lack of food and a lack of supplies. Karl had the entire castle crew - over 400 men - executed. That should be the punishment for the Swiss cause common cause with Louis XI. had made.
When the news of the carnage of February 28 made the rounds, the angry Confederates immediately decided to attack the Duke of Burgundy. Only four days later, on March 2nd, an 18,000-strong army of the allied Swiss advanced on Grandson and provided the Duke's 20,000 soldiers in the Battle of Grandson . Chased away by the “cowherd”, Karl and his men left their entire army camp, including tents and treasury. It was one of the devastating defeats that the belligerent duke and his followers had to accept. Just a year later, Karl died in the Battle of Nancy .
It took the Swiss three days to plunder the fat booty. Charles the Bold's treasure brought a million in gold pieces, gold and silver tableware, jewelry in the form of diamonds and rubies, precious carpets and even the duke's golden secret seal. The winners also looted 600 flags, 400 tents, 300 tons of gunpowder, 400 cannons, 800 handguns, 10,000 horses, horse fodder and huge amounts of food - all together would be worth around 100 million Swiss francs today. From 1476 to 1798 the bailiffs of Friborg and Bern ruled in Schloss Grandson, taking turns in government every five years.
"Swiss Arms Institute"
A project by the Swiss Weapons Institute (Grandson), the Swiss Institute for Historical Weapons based at the castle, was to promote the multi-volume work Der neue Støckel. International encyclopedia of gunsmiths, firearms manufacturers and crossbow makers from 1400–1900 .
literature
- Eugen Probst (Red.): The castles and palaces of Switzerland, Canton Vaud, Part II. Birkhäuser and Cie, Basel 1931-1932
Web links
- Castle website (French)
- Castle world: Château de Grandson
- Dimitry Queloz: Grandson, Battle of. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Musées & collections . Retrieved January 30, 2012
- ↑ La réserve du château . Retrieved January 30, 2012
- ↑ L'histoire du Château de Grandson . Retrieved January 30, 2012
- ↑ a b Compare the information and cross-references in the catalog of the German National Library
- ^ Institut suisse d'armes anciennes on the website of the Bibliothèque nationale de France