Le Landeron Castle
| Le Landeron Castle | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alternative name (s): | Landern Castle ( obsolete ), Château du Landeron | |
| Creation time : | 1325 | |
| Conservation status: | in need of renovation | |
| Place: | Le Landeron | |
| Geographical location | 47 ° 3 '4.4 " N , 7 ° 3' 50.8" E | |
| Height: | 434 m above sea level M. | |
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The castle of Le Landeron (or earlier in German Landern ) was built from 1325 as part of the founding of the city of Le Landeron on the 100 meter wide and 170 meter long island of the same name between the Grosse and Kleine Zihl .
Building
The city founders chose a building site within the city fortifications . It is about thirty meters long, which towers over the other houses in the town by one floor. Today, with the extremely narrow tower house ( maison de la tour ) and the outbuildings of the salle de la gestion, it forms an L-shaped building complex around the castle courtyard right next to the northern city gate, where it reinforces the city's defenses in the northwest corner. The defensive character is reinforced by the loopholes . The building was built from large limestone , which is clearly visible on the north and west facades.
When the goods were divided, the castle became the property of the St. Mauritzius parish (the parish bears the name of the church patron), which undertook major renovations from 1889 to 1891. The neo-Gothic windows on the south side date from this period. The wall that closed the courtyard from the street was also replaced by a wrought iron grille. The striking corner tower was trimmed to the level of the rest of the building.
Due to the correction of the Jura waters, the piles of the foundation dried out, which led to different subsidence of the building. This and the old age of the building led to an increased need for maintenance, which the community could not cover either from the cultural use or from the profits of the community forest. That is why it was given to the political community in 2010 for a symbolic price.
use
The large hall on the ground floor and the courtyard served as shelters for the population during a war or a fire disaster. At that time the city consisted of around 60 households. Already 1349 has put half the city in ruins a first fire, and the charter of the city was destroyed by fire.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, there was accommodation for the Count of Neuchâtel , which he used while traveling in the region, while the tithes and income of the castleman were stored in the storerooms . A prison was also built in from the 16th century. The King of Prussia, Friedrich II. , Left the castle to the civil parish in 1750, combined with the task of maintaining the prison and the chambre de la question .
In the 20th century, the hall on the ground floor was used for parties and meetings, especially by the two guilds , while the one on the first floor was set up as a theater and cinema.
defense
In addition to the thick walls pierced only by loopholes and the integration into the city walls, the castle was secured by a forecourt and access via three bridges over canals or the Kleine Zihl. On the Bern side, the bridge over the Grosse Zihl was constructed in such a way that, on the one hand, hay transport ships could pass the bridge and, at the same time, if there was near danger, the bridge could be removed and the road could be interrupted from the St. Johannsen Abbey .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b http://www.swisscastles.ch/neuchatel/landeron.html
- ↑ a b c d http://www.landeron.ch/monuments
- ^ Oral communication by Claude Pascal Ruedin, President of the Bürgergemeinde.
- ↑ on the theater see http://www.atrac.ch
