Schwarzenbach Castle (Jonschwil)

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Schwarzenbach Castle
Entrance to Schwarzenbach Castle

Entrance to Schwarzenbach Castle

Creation time : First mentioned in 779
Conservation status: Receive
Place: Jonschwil
Geographical location 47 ° 26 '33.3 "  N , 9 ° 4' 9.3"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 26 '33.3 "  N , 9 ° 4' 9.3"  E ; CH1903:  722988  /  255921
Height: 563  m above sea level M.
Schwarzenbach Castle (Canton of St. Gallen)
Schwarzenbach Castle

The Schwarzenbach Castle is located in the town of Jonschwil in the canton of St. Gallen .

history

The Schwarzenbach settlement was first mentioned in a document on March 16, 779. The local possessions of the St. Gallen monastery were administered by local ministers who, in the 12th century, built a fort on a hill north of the old Schwarzenbach mill to protect the Thur crossing of the road between Wil and St. Gallen. This family of nobles von Schwarzenbach died out around 1250.

The property around Schwarzenbach finally came through purchase to Count Rudolf von Habsburg , who took over the guardianship of the St. Gallen monastery as king in 1273 but at the same time was in conflict with the monastery. He apparently intended to build an attack fortress on the city of Wil , which belonged to the St. Gallen monastery. The first castle in Schwarzenbach was apparently too small for this, so that after 1282 Rudolf had a new castle built over the Thur, which essentially consisted of the keep still preserved today. To the north of it he also founded a town of Schwarzenbach, which was also called "Trutz-Wil". In the ensuing disputes between Rudolf and Albrecht von Habsburg on the one hand and Abbot Wilhelm von Montfort on the other, both Wil and Schwarzenbach were destroyed and rebuilt. At times, the entire citizens of the destroyed Wil fled to Schwarzenbach. In the peace treaty of 1301 between Prince Abbot Wilhelm von Montfort and the sons of Albrecht von Habsburg, it was agreed that the town and castle of Schwarzenbach should be razed. The castle was preserved, however, as the castle bailiff Jakob Hofmeister made claims for compensation. As a compromise, the castle finally went to Freiherr Heinrich von Griessenberg, who was close to the St. Gallen monastery, for 200 silver marks. After several changes of ownership through inheritance, the castle and the lordship came in 1483 from the Barons von Hewen to the prince abbey of St. Gallen, who made them the center of the Obervogtei Niederamt in the county of Toggenburg . The coat of arms of the bailiwick showed in silver a black and gold banded, diagonally right flowing brook.

After the fire of 1494, the castle was expanded into a palace, and a granary was added later. The explosion of a powder store on May 29, 1621 made it necessary to build a new granary, which still exists today. After the abbey of St. Gallen was finally abolished in 1805, the castle went to the newly founded canton of St. Gallen and served as the official seat of the authorities in the Untertoggenburg district . In 1821 the castle was finally auctioned and went to a shop steward of the Catholic Administrative Council of the canton of St. Gallen for 950 guilders . This sold the property with a profit in 1838 for 5100 guilders to a private person. In the middle of the 19th century, large parts of the curtain wall were demolished in order to use the stones for the construction of the railway bridge over the Thur. Most of the interior such as paneling and furniture was also sold. The castle chapel has been converted into a laundry room and a sheepfold. A spinning mill was temporarily set up in the granary.

After several changes of ownership, the complex fell into disrepair and was not restored until the 1980s. In 2009 the castle was up for sale as a luxury property.

investment

Today the castle consists of the former donjon, the oldest part of the complex from the time of Rudolf von Habsburg, the former granary (17th century) and the remains of the curtain wall. The gate system is not authentic, but was added in the 20th century.

List of owners

  • 1273–1307: Dukes of Austria
  • 1307–1324: Heinrich von Griessenberg
  • 1324–1337: Count Diethelm V. von Toggenburg
  • 1341–1370: Count Konrad von Fürstenberg
  • 1370–1483: Barons von Hewen and von Klingen (share up to 1372)
  • 1483–1805: Prince Abbey of St. Gallen
  • 1805–1821: Canton of St. Gallen
  • 1821–1838: Part of the Catholic denomination of the Canton of St. Gallen
  • 1838–1840: Niklaus Moosberger
  • 1840–1841: Mr. Hürlimann
  • 1841–1852: Dominik and Marie Fräfel
  • 1852–1856: Jakob Clavadetscher
  • 1856–1859: Luzier Clavadetscher
  • 1859–1872: Andreas Marugg
  • 1872–1943: Rupert Geeser / Friedrich Geeser
  • 1943–1959: Non-profit society of the canton of St. Gallen, Platanenhof educational institution, Oberuzwil
  • 1959–1985: Ernst B. Pflüger
  • 1986: Alex Hengartner
  • 2016: Lars Seier Christensen

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Historisch-Biographisches Lexikon der Schweiz, Vol. 6, Neuchâtel 1931, p. 268.
  2. ↑ 20 minutes : DJ looking for a castle , April 20, 2009
  3. ↑ to “Chronicle of Schwarzenbach Castle”, in: d'Region 5/83