Neu-Thierstein Castle is a ruined castle in the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

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 ...

Büsserach Büsserach is a municipality in the district of Thierstein in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. History Büsserach is first mentioned in 1194 as ''Buezherach''. Geography Büsserach has an area, , of . Of this area, or 42.4% is used f ...

in the

canton of Solothurn The canton of Solothurn or canton of Soleure (german: Kanton Solothurn rm, Chantun Soloturn french: Canton de Soleure; it, Canton Soletta) is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the northwest of Switzerland. The capital is Solothurn. Hi ...

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

The castle was founded in 1100 and a new building was built around 1294/95. The castle was apparently built by the Saugern-Pfeffingen family as a seat for a ''Kastvogtei'' (or 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 ...

with authority over a religious structure) who ruled over

Beinwil Abbey Beinwil Abbey (Kloster Beinwil) was a Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Beinwil, Solothurn, Beinwil in the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. History It was founded around 1100, probably by the local nobility and was first mention ...

. The first mention of the castle comes from 1321 when it was called ''Bello''. As heirs of the Saugern-Pfeffingen family, in the late 12th Century, the count of Thierstein took over the castle and the ''Kastvogtei'' post. By 1400 it was known as Thierstein Castle. The castle was occupied by the Canton of Solothurn in 1445, 1467 and 1499. After the extinction of the counts of Thierstein in 1522, Solothurn acquired the castle and made it the administrative center of the secular

bailiwick A bailiwick () is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and once also applied to territories in which a privately appointed bailiff exercised the sheriff's functions under a royal or imperial writ. The bailiwick is probably modelled on th ...

of Thierstein. In 1798 the castle was sold for demolition. However, in the 19th Century, the destruction of the castle are stopped by private individuals who wanted to repair the ruins. The ruins were surveyed and archeologically investigated in 1985.

Castle site

The castle ruins are on a small rocky outcrop above the municipality of Büsserach. The ruin consists of a residential tower with ancillary buildings. Traces of a bailey and the old gate house on the south side can still be seen.

References

Castles in the canton of Solothurn Ruined castles in Switzerland {{Switzerland-castle-stub

History

Castle site

See also

References