The Restiturm, or Burgruine Resti, is a ruined
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 ...
in the
municipality of Meiringen in the
Swiss
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
canton of Bern
The canton of Bern, or Berne (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the c ...
. The original castle was built in the 13th century and has been rebuilt several times.
The castle is situated at the foot of the Hasliberges. The best preserved part of the castle is its tower, which still stands to this day.
An examination of the castle interior reveals that the castle was constructed inside out, with the core's construction beginning in 1250. It took another 50 years before the iconic tower was completed.
The castle was the seat of the Knights of Resti,
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
s of the
Habsburgs
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 ...
. The first construction was in 1250 by Peter von Resti. It overlooks the
Haslital
The Oberhasli is a historical ''Landvogtei (Switzerland), Landvogtei'' or ''Talschaft'' in the Bernese Highlands, Switzerland, bordering on the cantons of Canton of Obwalden, Obwalden (OW), Canton of Nidwalden, Nidwalden (NW), Canton of Uri, Uri ...
and served to control and protect the valley and the trade routes across the
Grimsel Pass
The Grimsel Pass (; ; ) is a mountain pass in Switzerland, crossing the Bernese Alps at an elevation of . The pass connects the Haslital, the upper valley of the river Aare, with the upper valley of the Rhône. In so doing, and as the Aare is a t ...
,
Joch Pass,
Susten Pass
Susten Pass (German: ''Sustenpass'') (el. 2260 m.) is a mountain pass in the Swiss Alps. The pass road, built from 1938–1945, connects Innertkirchen in the canton of Bern with Wassen in the canton of Uri. A 300-metre long tunnel crosses the pass ...
,
Grosse Scheidegg
The Grosse Scheidegg is a mountain pass in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, The pass crosses the col between the Schwarzhorn and the Wetterhorn mountains at an elevation of .
The pass is traversed by a road connecting the town of Meiringen, ...
and
Brünig Pass
The Brünig Pass, at an altitude of , connects the Bernese Oberland and central Switzerland, linking Meiringen in the canton of Bern and Lungern in the canton of Obwalden. It is on the watershed between the upper reaches of the Aare, which flow ...
.
In the 16th century, the castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair. It was restored in 1914 and again in 2004. During this latter renovation, information boards, steel ladders and a terrace were added.
Today, only the tower remains. It is owned by the nonprofit association Meiringen and is a listed building.
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References
External links
*
Web page of the Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern on Restiturm
(in German)
*
{{Authority control
Castles in the Canton of Bern
Meiringen