Tourbillon Castle
| Tourbillon Castle | ||
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.JPG) Tourbillon Castle seen from the south |
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| Alternative name (s): | Château de Tourbillon | |
| Creation time : | 13th Century | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Place: | Manners | |
| Geographical location | 46 ° 14 '11.3 " N , 7 ° 22' 1.3" E | |
| Height: | 652 m above sea level M. | |
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The Tourbillon Castle (pronounced tuʁbijõ) is a preserved as ruins, which boasts a central location on the same hill of Sion in the Swiss canton of Valais is. Opposite the castle, the Basilica of Valeria is enthroned on another elevation . Tourbillon was built by Bishop Bonifatius Challant at the end of the 13th century . The two hills and their buildings tower above the city by far and thus shape the cityscape and landscape.
In 1788 the castle was destroyed by the great city fire. Tourbillon has been classified as a historic monument since 1907 and has been listed in the inventory of protected monuments of national importance in accordance with the Hague Convention since 1977 .
history
Archaeological excavations show that the hill was settled as early as the 5th millennium BC.
In the Middle Ages it served as a guard during wartime. This is also indicated by the remains of a donjon , which is located under the chapel built in the 15th century . Furthermore, a document lists around 1270 names of people who should have occupied the watchtower on the hill in the event of war. Bishop Bonifatius Challant initiated the construction of the castle in its current dimensions in 1297. Dendrochronological dating, however, showed that large parts of the complex were only built around 1307. The city of Sion was to be protected by the rebellious nobility under Peter IV von Turn .
Bishopric
In the 13th century the bishop still lived at the foot of the Valeria hill. In 1373, Bishop Gitschard Tavel acquired the Tower of Meiers ( Majoria Castle ), which is located on a sloping rock ridge on the western foothills of the Tourbillon hill, and made it his main residence. The Tourbillon Castle served as the seat in summer and when dangers threatened.
First destruction and reconstruction
The Counts of Savoy occupied and administered the castle from 1352 to 1361 and from 1384 to 1392 . In 1417 Tourbillon was finally conquered and partially destroyed by the Upper Valais during the rare trade . Between 1440 and 1450, Bishop Wilhelm III. von Raron rebuild the complex on the old foundation walls and paint the castle chapel again.
City fire of 1788
On May 24, 1788 a hurricane-like storm moved up over the Rhone Valley. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon it started a fire, against which the fire brigade could not do anything. Within 3 hours, 226 buildings fell victim to the fire, including the episcopal castles Majoria and Tourbillon. The valuable writings of the episcopal archives and the state chancellery were also destroyed. Only the cathedral was largely spared, only its roof was damaged. Bishop Franz Melchior had these restored Zen ruffins at his own expense. He also planned to rebuild the two castles, but his death (1790) and the subsequent French Revolution prevented their execution.
Current
The facility is being restored and serviced by the Fondation du Château de Tourbillon . The castle ruins can be viewed freely from mid-March to mid-November. At the west end a toilet for visitors was built behind the chapel.
Location and architecture
The esplanade of the castle hill is 200 m from east to west and approx. 50 m from north to south.
literature
- Valais history, volumes 1 + 2 . Second revised and expanded edition 2004. Rotten Verlag, Visp 2004, ISBN 3-907624-91-2 .
- Sr. M. Luise Zuber: Valais history in pictures . Institute St. Ursula , Brig 1927.
- Albert Wolf, Hans Anton von Roten: Blätter from the Walliser Geschichte, Vol. 13 , P. 77–89 The Majoria Palace in Sion 300 years ago: an inventory from 1659, 1961.
- Elsig Patrick: Le château de Tourbillon . Vol. 13, Sedunum Nostrum, Sion 1997.
Web links
- Bernard Truffer: Tourbillon. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Tourbillon Castle on the ETHorama platform
- Castle world: Château de Tourbillon
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b The history of the 4 castles on siontourisme.ch , accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑ a b Bernard Truffer: Tourbillon. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ Burg Tourbillon (Chateau de Tourbillon) on dickemauern.de , accessed on October 9, 2013
- ^ Sheets from Walliser Geschichte, Volume 13 , 1961, p. 77
- ^ Walliser Geschichte, Volume 2 , 2004, p. 143
- ^ Sr. M. Luise Zuber: Walliser history in pictures . Institut St. Ursula , Brig 1927, p. 121
