Kyburg Castle () is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, overlooking the

Töss river Töss is a district in the Switzerland, Swiss city of Winterthur. It is district number 4. The district comprises the quarters Schlosstal, Dättnau, Eichliacker and Rossberg (Winterthur), Rossberg. It is named after the river Töss (river), Töss ...

about 3 km south-east of

Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...

, in Kyburg municipality,

canton of Zürich The canton of Zurich is an administrative unit (Swiss canton, canton) of Switzerland, situated in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton of Switzerland. Zurich is the ''de facto'' Capi ...

. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

History

The first fortification at this site was likely built in the second half of the 10th century by the counts of Winterthur. It is first mentioned in 1027 under the name of ''Chuigeburg'' ("cows-

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

"), which name points to an original use as a

refuge castle A refuge castleCreighton, Oliver (2015). ''Early European Castles''. Bloomsbury. or refuge fort (, also ''Fluchtburg'', ''Volksburg'', ''Bauernburg'' or ''Vryburg'') is a castle-like defensive location, usually surrounded by Rampart (fortification ...

for livestock. The modern spelling ''Kyburg'' first occurs in the 1230s (other spellings of the 11th to 13th century include ''Chiuburch, Cogiburk, Kuiburc, Chuͦweburg, Chyburc, Qwiburg, Kiburc, Chiburg, Kibor, Kyburc, Kiburg''). The early castle was destroyed in 1028 or 1030 by emperor

Conrad II Conrad II (, – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdom ...

. It was rebuilt and soon became the center of the

county of Kyburg The County of Kyburg probably came into existence in the 11th century and is first mentioned in 1027. After 1053 it was a possession of the counts of Dillingen. It was greatly expanded with the extinction of the House of Lenzburg in 1173. During ...

which was formed in 1053 as a possession of the

counts of Dillingen The Counts of Dillingen were a Swabian comital family of the Hupaldinger (Hucpaldinger) dynasty during AD 955–1286. History The family originate in Wittislingen, with archaeological evidence of grave goods suggesting the presence of Alaman ...

. In 1079, during the

Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe, the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture), abbots of monasteri ...

, the castle was attacked and partially destroyed by Abbot Ulrich II of

St. Gall Gall (; 550 645) according to hagiographic tradition was a disciple and one of the traditional twelve companions of Columbanus on his mission from Ireland to the continent. However, he may have originally come from the border region betwe ...

. By 1096, the counts of Dillingen included a count of Kyburg as one of their titles. By 1180, the

counts of Kyburg The Kyburg family (; ; also Kiburg) was a noble family of ''grafen'' (counts) in the Duchy of Swabia, a cadet line of the counts of Dillingen, who in the late 12th and early 13th centuries ruled the County of Kyburg, corresponding to much of what ...

emerged as a cadet line of the Dillingen family. They rose to be the most important noble family in the Swiss plateau beside the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

and the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

by the 13th century. After the death of the last count in 1264,

Rudolph of Habsburg Rudolf of Habsburg may refer to: * Rudolf I of Germany (1218–1291), King of the Romans * Rudolph II, Count of Habsburg (d. 1232) * Rudolf II, Duke of Austria (1270–1290) * Rudolf I of Bohemia (1281–1307), Duke of Austria and Styria and King o ...

claimed the inheritance for his family. With one interruption, the

Imperial Regalia The Imperial Regalia, also called Imperial Insignia (in German ''Reichskleinodien'', ''Reichsinsignien'' or ''Reichsschatz''), are regalia of the Holy Roman Emperor. The most important parts are the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, C ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

were kept in the castle between 1273 and 1322. In 1349, 330 Jews were burned within the fortress. This was one of the deadliest pogroms in Swiss areas. The core of the extant castle originates in the 13th century, with the addition of substantial parts in the course of the 13th and 14th centuries. It is among the largest surviving medieval castle complexes in Switzerland, consisting of a ''

bergfried ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Italian: ''torrione''; Castilian: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries an ...

'' and ''

palas A ''palas'' () is a German term for the imposing or prestigious building of a medieval '' Pfalz'' or castle that contained the great hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period (11th to 13th century) and, according to Thompson ...

'' with additional residential and economic buildings and a chapel, all connected by a

ring wall A curtain wall is a defensive wall between fortified towers or bastions of a castle, fortress, or town. Ancient fortifications Evidence for curtain walls or a series of walls surrounding a town or fortress can be found in the historical source ...

enclosing a large courtyard. In 1424, the city of

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

bought the county, and the castle became the seat of the reeve. The dilapidated castle was substantially renovated at this time. The chapel has substantial late Gothic frescoes commissioned by Zürich. Substantial changes to the structure were made under reeve Hans Rudolf Lavater during 1527/8. Further changes were made to the structure in the early modern period. The castle was plundered by the local populace in 1798, but it was again used as an administrative seat from 1803 until 1831, when it was sold by auction to one Franz Heinrich Hirzel of Winterthur who intended to use it as a quarry. To prevent its destruction, the castle was bought by the exiled Polish count Alexander Sobansky (1799–1861) in 1835. Sobansky resided in the castle for the next 30 years. In 1865 the castle was opened as a "Castle and Art Museum" by Matthäus Pfau. Under the next owner, Eduard Bodmer, the museum remained open. In 1917, the

Canton of Zurich The canton of Zurich is an administrative unit (Swiss canton, canton) of Switzerland, situated in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton of Switzerland. Zurich is the ''de facto'' Capi ...

bought the castle back. The castle has been run by the ''Verein Museum Schloss Kyburg'' since 1999. In 2021-2022, a

14th-century gauntlet The Kryburg gauntlet is a medieval iron glove discovered near Switzerland's Kyburg Castle during a 2021-2022 archeological excavation. Discovery Demolition work was planned near Kyburg Castle, about 20 miles north of Zurich; the castle was near ...

was discovered near Kyberg during an archeological excavation.

Events

Every summer the ''Kyburgiade'', an international

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

festival, takes place in the inner courtyard of the castle.

Castle site

The castle forms an irregular quadrangle with a single courtyard atop a steep hill above the Töss valley. South of the castle, between the medieval

neck ditch A neck ditch (), sometimes called a throat ditch,
at www.roadstoruins.com. Accessed on 3 Jan 2012. is a dry

French formal garden The French formal garden, also called the , is a style of "Landscape architecture, landscape" garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. Its epitome is generally considered to be the Gardens of Versailles designed ...

which was designed in 1700 by Caspar Schwarzenbach. The entrance to the castle is through the outer gate located on the north-east corner. The gate house was rebuilt in 1579-80 and decorated with

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

by Christoph and Josias Murer. A

zwinger A () is an open kill zone area between two defensive walls that is used for defensive purposes. s were built in the medieval and early modern periods to improve the defence of castles and town walls. The term is usually left untranslated, ...

'','' or narrow, defensive passage, leads from the outer gate to the inner gate. A walkway goes over the zwinger and connects the

, or great hall, with the Willenturm (Willen tower) on the north corner of the castle. The inner gate is protected by the

, which was built in 1424 with the addition of a roof in 1444.

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References

External links