Alt-Signau Castle (german: Ruine Alt-Signau) is a ruined castle in the
municipality of Bowil in the
canton of Bern
The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...
in
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 the ancestral home of 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
Signau. The family was first mentioned in 1130 when Werner von Signau appeared in a historical record.
The castle was designed to protect and control the road between the
Emmental and the
Aare river.
In the mid-14th century the castle was abandoned when the family moved to
Neu-Signau Castle on a hill across the valley.
The ruin is relatively well preserved.
See also
*
List of castles in Switzerland
References
* Burgenkarte der Schweiz - West: ,
Bundesamt für Landestopografie
Swisstopo is the official name for the Swiss Federal Office of Topography (in German: ''Bundesamt für Landestopografie''; French: ''Office fédéral de topographie''; Italian: ''Ufficio federale di topografia''; Romansh: ''Uffizi federal d ...
swisstopo, 2007
External links
*
History of Signau from signau.ch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Signau Castle, Alt
Castles in the Canton of Bern