Greifenstein Castle is a ruined
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality ...
of
Filisur
Filisur is an Alpine village and former municipality in the Albula Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The village sits on a hillside with a view to the west where the two rivers Albula/Alvra from the Albula Pass and Landwa ...
of the
Canton of Graubünden
The Grisons () or Graubünden,Names include:
*german: (Kanton) Graubünden ;
* Romansh:
** rm, label=Sursilvan, (Cantun) Grischun
** rm, label= Vallader, (Chantun) Grischun
** rm, label= Puter, (Chantun) Grischun
** rm, label= Surmiran, (Can ...
in
Switzerland. It is included on the register of the
.
History
The castle was built on a rocky outcropping above the village probably in the 12th century as the home of the Greifenstein family.
They were probably related to the Wildenberg-Sagogn and Frauenberg in Ruschein families. The first mention of them was in 1233 as ''Grifenstein''
when Rudolf von Greifenstein was ordered by the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
to go on a
crusade as
penance
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of repentance for sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. It also plays a pa ...
for murdering
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
Berthold von
Helfenstein.
[ In 1237, he finally left to join the Crusades. In 1243, his relatives Heinrich and Albert were listed as witnesses in a legal proceeding as ''Hainricus et Albertus de Grifinstain''.]Bishop of Chur
The Bishop of Chur (German: ''Bischof von Chur'') is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chur, Grisons, Switzerland (Latin: ''Dioecesis Curiensis'').[Freiherr
(; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...]
von Marmels ruled over the herrschaft
The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...
for the Bishop. In 1360 the Freiherr von Wildenberg-Sagogn sold it to the Freiherr von Matsch.[
By 1392 the von Matsch family were robber knights who used the castle as a base for raids against the Bishop's estates. In 1394 Bishop Hartmann II successfully sent an army to drive out the robbers and take control of the castle. He appointed a ]vogt
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
to administer the castle and lands for him, but was forced to mortgage it to the Marmels family in 1411. The Matsch family began raiding and sued the Bishop to return the castle to them. In 1421 Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...
Ernst of Austria negotiated a compromise where by the Bishop kept both Greifenstein and Tschanüff Castle
Tschanüff Castle is a ruined castle in the former municipality of Ramosch (now Valsot) of the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
History
The Lords of Ramosch first appear in historica ...
s but had to pay the Matsch family 2,500 Marks.[
In 1468 Greifenstein, along with several other of the Bishop's castles, were attacked and occupied by the ]League of God's House
The League of God's House (German: ''Gotteshausbund'', Italian: ''Lega Caddea'', rm, ) was formed in what is now Switzerland on 29 January 1367, to resist the rising power of the Bishopric of Chur and the House of Habsburg. The League allied ...
. The castles were returned to the Bishop following intervention by the city of Zurich. In 1537 Filisur bought the rights to rule themselves from the Bishop and the castle lost its importance. It was abandoned and rapidly fell into ruin. In 1550 it was mentioned as being mostly destroyed. However, the roof remained in good repair until about 1840.[ When the roof finally collapsed, part of the castle was broken up for stone for the new school house in Filisur.][
]
Castle site
The castle consists of three separate parts built on terraces at differing elevations. The lower gate was built in a rocky gap at the foot of the outcropping. The entrance and parts of the surrounding wall are still visible. The lower castle once stood west of the lower gate. However, no traces remain of the wall that protected it on the valley side.
The middle castle occupies a triangular terrace north and above the lower castle. A gate guarded the narrow southern end of the triangle. Today the only trace of this gate is channel carved in the rock that probably allowed the gate to be barred. Much of the massive curtain wall that surrounded the middle castle is still standing on the north and western sides of the terrace. The vestibule
Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court".
Anatomy
In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...
and a small altar
An altar is a Table (furniture), table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of wo ...
from the castle chapel are still visible along the north wall. Additionally, the middle castle cistern and rock channels that carried water to it are near the chapel.
A narrow pathway, carved into the rock, leads from the middle castle to the upper castle, a vertical climb of about . The upper castle was an uneven hexagon tower of about . Today, only the foundation of this wall remains.
Gallery
File:Greifenstein Lage.jpg, The rocky outcropping above the village
File:Greifenstein Abschlussmauer.jpg, Ruins of the lower gate
File:Greifenstein Zisterne.jpg, The cistern in the middle castle
File:Greifenstein NW.jpg, North-west castle walls
File:Greifenstein Nordwand2.jpg, The north wall of the middle castle meeting the eastern cliff face
See also
* List of castles in Switzerland
This list includes castles and fortresses in Switzerland.
Entries list the name and location of the castle, fortress or ruins in each Canton in Switzerland.
Aargau
Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Appenzell Innerrhoden
Basel-Landschaft, Bas ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greifenstein Castle
Cultural property of national significance in Graubünden
Castles in Graubünden
Bergün Filisur