The ruins of Wulp Castle (german: Ruine Wulp or ''Burg Wulp'') is a castle located besides Küsnachter Tobel in the municipality of Küsnacht and the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. It was built during the

high Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended around AD 150 ...

. Despite this, the castle is documented only in a few found texts, and much of the castle's history is not known. However, in the chronicle of

Muri Abbey Muri Abbey (german: Kloster Muri) is a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It flourished for over eight centuries at Muri, in the Canton of Aargau, near Zürich, Switzerland. It is currently established as Muri-Gries in Sout ...

, a castle that could perhaps fit Ruine Wulp's description - a castle in proximity to Zurich and

Lake Zurich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich (Swiss German/ Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...

- was mentioned, but this has not been confirmed by other findings and is mere speculation. Also, a person named Eghart of Küsnacht was mentioned in the chronicle and several other documents to be the owner of the castle in the late 11th century.

History

While no cemented and sure truth about the castle can be confirmed, progress has been made, including the finding of

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

remnants after the excavation of the castle site, such as palisades. Other items have been uncovered about the castle's past, such as the altering of the castle in the 13th century, when it is presumed that most or all of the castle was replaced with a single

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

and a central building, with only sections of the main wall still existing. After an unknown period of time, the Barons von Regensberg are known to have assumed ownership of Ruine Wulp, and also are known to have made plans to completely renovate the castle, but the plans probably were never realised.

Excavation

The castle and the castle site were excavated and conserved in 1920 - 1923, 1961–1962, 1978 and 1980 - 1982. The task was performed by the ''adornment association Küsnacht'', and in 1923, the area and castle were placed under the protection and responsibility of the federation.

Downfall of the castle

Several theories exist about how the castle may have come to an end, and historians are in debate. Some theories include: *The Barons von Regensberg destroyed the castle for an unspecified or unknown reason, or they demolished it with the intent of building a new castle that was never finished. *The castle was destroyed in 1267 by the inhabitants of Zurich. This theory is confirmed by several old documents, but by no other found evidence. *The castle was abandoned sometime in the late 13th century, and deteriorated over time.

Currently

Little remains of the castle, and only small and insignificant ruins of the tower

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

and main wall can be defined clearly. However, the ruins have been adequately preserved since the first excavations.

References

External links