Aesch Castle or Blarer Castle (german: Schloss Aesch) is a castle in the

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municipality of Aesch in the canton of Basel-Country.

Location

Aesch Castle is about northwest of the gorge and

Angenstein Castle Angenstein Castle (german: Schloss Angenstein or simply ''Angenstein'') is a castle in the municipality of Duggingen in the canton of Basel-Land in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. The Jura Railway passes throu ...

and north-northeast of the ruins of

Pfeffingen Castle Pfeffingen Castle (german: Ruine Pfeffingen) is a castle in the municipality of Pfeffingen of the canton of Basel-Land in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. Pfeffingen Castle is one of the largest castle ru ...

on the edge of the core of Aesch village.

History

The castle was built in 1605/06 by the Blarer of Wartensee family. This family was originally from St. Gallen and had become wealthy from the linen trade. One line of the family settled in Wartensee Castle at

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, hence the name of this line. With the election of Jacob Christoph Blarer of Wartensee in 1575 to the canons of the

cathedral of Basel Basel Minster (German: ''Basler Münster'') is a religious building in the Swiss city of Basel, originally a Catholic cathedral and today a Reformed Protestant church. The original cathedral was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque and Got ...

the family gained interests in the Basel region. Jacob Christoph Blarer was also one of the main leaders of the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

in Birseck. The Blarers began to expand their power in the Basel region when Jacob Christoph Blarer appointed his brother Wolfgang Dietrich Blarer to the upper Vogt of Pfeffingen in 1583. This position gave the family a steady source of income from tithes, taxes and interest. Many other privileges, for example a charter granted by Jacob Christoph Blarer in 1604, led to a steady growth of wealth of the Blarer family. In the years before his death in 1608, he tasked his nephew Wilhelm Blarer, to consolidate the family's position and power by building a castle at Aesch. In 1607, the castle grounds and surrounding property were given to Wilhelm by Jacob Christoph. At the same time, Jacob Christoph as the Bishop of Basel freed Wilhelm from all offerings. By 1702, the Prince-Bishop allowed the Vogt Johann Konrad Blarer to live in the castle at Aesch rather than in Pfeffingen, but his clerk had to stay in

. As the castle at Pfeffingen lacked the comfort and prestige that the family desired for a family seat, in 1740 the Blarers moved their center of power into Aesch. During the Thirty Years' War the castle was damaged, but was rebuilt immediately. At the time of the French Revolution a hospital was set up in the castle. Finally, in 1851 the castle was bought from the family by the municipality of Aesch and rebuilt. Two classrooms and two teachers' houses were added. It was renovated in 1900 by Rudolf Sandreuter, who moved the main entrance to the village side and added

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and an additional half-round tower. Starting in 1909 it was used as a school and community center. Since the renovation of 1958/59, which restored its original condition, the municipal administration has occupied the castle.

Castle site

Originally, on the site of the castle there was a hostel. The castle was designed from the beginning as a representative, multi-story

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

. Therefore, little value was placed on the defensive capability of the structure. The nearby Pfeffingen Castle provided the family with a defensive fortress, and the power of gunpowder weapons at the time meant that castles were no longer effective as fortresses. The main building has a basement with a vaulted cellar. On the north and west of the palace buildings there were several support buildings including a

wine-press A winepress is a device used to pressing (wine), extract juice from crushed grapes during wine making. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press ...

and stables, some of which are still in existence today. The builder is not known with certainty, but it could be, according to surviving receipts, be Michael Brauwn or Braun.

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extensions to the castle took place in 1730 and 1740 and at this time the

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was added. The wall around the whole complex was decorated with several turrets and bartizans while lattice doors ensured accessibility to the grounds. Most of the current castle exterior dates back to the state after the great expansion in the 18th century. However, the perimeter wall has been significantly adjusted and some portions have been totally demolished. Due to the many different functions that the castle has served, the interiors have been changed significantly. The park is easily accessible to the public and the castle can be visited whenever the local government offices are open. The vaulted cellar is now expanded and used for special events and can be rented from the local authority. In the west, a former outbuilding now houses the local museum of Aesch.

References

* Carl Roth: Die Burgen und Schlösser der Kantone Basel-Stadt und Basel-Landschaft, Birkhäuser, Basel, 1932 * Josef Baumann: Die Blarer von Wartensee und das Blarer-Schloss zu Aesch, Baselbieter Heimatbuch, Liestal, Jg. 8(1959), S. 72-91 {{Castles of Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Land Castles in Basel-Landschaft 17th-century architecture in Switzerland