Trachselwald Castle (German: ''Schloss Trachselwald'') is a

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 ...

Trachselwald Trachselwald is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the Swiss canton of Bern. History The name of this municipality means "Drechsler-Wald" ("Woodturner-Forest) and was first mentioned in 1131 as ''Trahselwalt''. The ...

in the canton of

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

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 ...

. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

History

The name of the rulers of the castle was first mentioned in 1131. The castle itself may date back to the 10th century but the 11th or 12th century is more likely.Swisscastles.ch - Trachselwald
accessed 15 December 2014 At first it belonged to the

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

s of Trachselwald, then to the barons of

Rüti bei Lyssach Rüti bei Lyssach is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. History Rüti bei Lyssach is first mentioned in 1341 as ''Ruiti''. The name comes from the Old High German word meaning clea ...

, and then those of

Sumiswald Sumiswald is a municipality in the district of the Emmental administrative district in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It is mostly known for being the manufacturing location of the Swiss railway clock. History Sumiswald is first mentione ...

. The barons of Sumiswald sold the castle and surrounding lands to the city of

. Bern turned the castle into a

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

hood. The castle was rebuilt or expanded several times. Its oldest parts are the

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

, which was built out of

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...

, and one half of the main building. These parts of the castle were built in the second half of the 12th century. The stair tower was probably built by a

master craftsman Historically, a master craftsman or master tradesman (sometimes called only master or grandmaster) was a member of a guild. The title survives as the highest professional qualification in craft industries. In the European guild system, only mas ...

from Prismell in 1641. During the

Swiss peasant war of 1653 The Swiss peasant war of 1653 () was a popular revolt in the Old Swiss Confederacy at the time of the Ancien Régime. A devaluation of Bernese money caused a tax revolt that spread from the Entlebuch valley in the Canton of Lucerne to the Emmenta ...

, the peasant leader

Niklaus Leuenberger thumb Niklaus Leuenberger (c. July 17, 1615 – executed 6 September, 1653 Bern) was one of the leaders of the rural rebellion that led to the Swiss peasant war of 1653 in Switzerland. He was nicknamed the "King of the Peasants" Leuenberger wa ...

, who was arrested on 19 June 1653 was held in Castle Trachselwald until being taken to Bern, where he was

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

on 27 August. The castle was sacked during the 1798 French invasion, but was not burned. It became the center of administration of the

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

. Trachselwald Castle became a prison where

Mennonites Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

were held, some of whom were then executed for their beliefs which differed from the ruling Reformed Protestants. In 2021 an exhibit opened in the castle's prison documenting the oppression of Mennonites in the region.

Castle site

The first castle consisted of a square keep that was about on each side. The walls were up to thick. The keep and outer walls are made of tuff stone cut into roughly squared blocks which indicates construction before 1200. Dating of the beams by

dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...

indicates that they came from 1251 to 1253. Along with the keep, part of the main building was added during this first construction period.Burgenwelt.de website, Trachselwald Castle History
accessed 26 March 2012 The original keep was probably surrounded by an elliptical

ring wall A curtain wall is a defensive wall between two 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 ...

. In the 14th century the original two-story keep doubled in height. In the 16th or 17th century a

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, ...

, dungeon and other buildings were added to the castle.Gesellschaft für Schweizerische Kunstgeschichte GSK
accessed 15 December 2014 The new additions were built in a Romanesque style, which included larger windows and thinner walls. A stair tower was added in 1641 and a granary was built in 1683. The palas was renovated during the 17th and 18th century into its current appearance. In 1751 a new, more decorative gate house was built along with a

french garden The French formal garden, also called the (), is a style of garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. Its epitome is generally considered to be the Gardens of Versailles designed during the 17th century by the ...

References

External links

Pictures and information about the castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trachselwald Castle Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern Castles in the Canton of Bern