Guardaval 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 corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Madulain Madulain () is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. History Madulain is first mentioned around 1137-39 as ''Madulene''. Guardaval Castle was built near the village of Madulain in the 13th century to administe ...

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, (Cant ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

History

Guardaval Castle was built around 1250 near the village of Madulain to administer the estates of the

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'').Upper Engadine The Engadin or Engadine ( rm, ;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ...

by Bishop Volkard von Neuenburg. The castle sat along the

Albula Pass The Albula Pass ( Romansh: ''Pass d'Alvra'' or , german: Albulapass) (el. 2312 m) is a Swiss mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden. It lies at the heart of the Albula Alps, on the watershed between the Albula, tributary of the Rhine and the ...

road and collected tolls from travelers going over the pass. The castle was an important administrative center for the bishops; they often took up residence in the castle and ordered their

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. W ...

s to frequently repair and hold it always available to them. Originally the castle consisted of just the main tower. The second building phase added a curtain wall, a gatehouse to the south; a

zwinger "" () is a German word for outer ward or bailey (castle), outer bailey. It represents an open kill zone area between two defensive walls that is used for defensive purposes. s were built in the Post-classical history, post-classical and early ...

, or outer courtyard; and a residential wing to the east. In the 14th century the castle was granted to the wealthy Planta family from nearby

Zuoz Zuoz () is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. History Zuoz is first mentioned about 840 as ''Zuzes''. Historically, Zuoz was the political center of the upper Engadin. It was the seat of the local bishop. Bu ...

. The Planta family held a number of estates throughout the Engadine region as well as the rights to mine in the valley and fish on its lakes. Throughout the 14th century, they held the castle as a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

and sometimes as

collateral Collateral may refer to: Business and finance * Collateral (finance), a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan * Marketing collateral, in marketing and sales Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Collate ...

for a loan that they gave the bishop. In 1359 the bishop visited the castle and issued documents from his residence ''in castro nostro Wardenwall''. In 1367 the Planta family supported the creation of 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 wi ...

to curtail the power of the bishops. The bishop, trying to retain his power base at Guardaval, required Thomas von Planta (in 1377) and his son Jacob (in 1382) to swear that they would always hold the castle open for the bishop and keep it in good repair. In 1409 the Bishop had to

pledge Pledge may refer to: Promises * a solemn promise * Abstinence pledge, a commitment to practice abstinence, usually teetotalism or chastity * The Pledge (New Hampshire), a promise about taxes by New Hampshire politicians * Pledge of Allegianc ...

the castle to the League of God's House to pay off some of his debts. Under the League, the castle was no longer an administrative center and was abandoned by 1500, falling into ruin. In 1550 Ulrich Campell recorded that the castle was nearly undamaged, but abandoned and empty. By the 17th century it had fallen into ruin. In the 19th century a restaurant was built in the ruins. Most of the southern wall and gatehouse were destroyed during construction. Around 1935 the castle ruins were repaired and stabilized. The restaurant was completely dismantled and removed at the same time. The legend that the castle was once the home of a wicked

bailiff A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...

who abused and raped local women before his murder at the hands of the local villagers has no basis in fact. Rather the Planta family had generally good relations with the local villages and there are no records of there ever being a bailiff at the castle.

Site

The castle is located on a hill west of the village of Madulain. A marked walking trail leads from the train station to the castle. The trail climbs up the eastern side of the hill and arrives at an entrance in the south-east corner. The castle was protected on the mountain or north side by a ditch. The main tower is on the west side of the complex. Some of the medieval plaster and even the trowel marks are still visible on the tower. The high entrance is located on the south side on the second level. The tower is about tall. The holes for heavy wooden beams that once supported a wooden balcony or platform are still visible near the top of the tower. The main gate was on the south side of the complex, but was destroyed during construction of the late 17th century restaurant. The ring wall is an irregular rectangle with the tower forming much of the western side. The eastern side of the courtyard has a residential wing with two large rooms.

Name

The modern name Guardaval comes from the Romansh verb ''guardar'', meaning to watch or observe. The Germanic verb ''wardon'' has a similar meaning. The castle was originally called Wardenwall (1359) and Waraual (1382), with the Romansh name becoming common much later.

Gallery

Guardaval_Balken.JPG, Arrow slit and support beams for a platform Guardaval_innen.JPG, High entrance from inside Guardaval_Südseite.jpg, South side with high entrance visible Guardaval_Gebäude.JPG, Ruins of the east wing Guardaval_Terrasse.JPG, Looking toward the south-east

References

{{Switzerland-castle-stub Madulain Castles in Graubünden Ruined castles in Switzerland

History

Site

Name

Gallery

See also

References