The Trotte (formerly known as the Zehntentrotte) lies in the village centre of

Münchenstein Münchenstein (Swiss German: ''Minggestai'') is a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland. Historical records Münchenstein is first mentioned in 1196 as ''Kekingen''. In 1270, it was mentione ...

, in the

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

Basel-Country Canton of Basel-Landschaft or Basel-Country, informally known as Baselland or Baselbiet (; ; ; ; ), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital city is Liestal. It is traditional ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

.
The German word ''Trotte'' means ''

wine press A winepress is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during winemaking. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts control ...

''.

Location

The ruins of

Münchenstein Castle Münchenstein Castle () is a landmark above the village centre of Münchenstein, in the canton of Basel-Land in Switzerland. The ruins of the castle (Schloss) can still be visited and viewed, but are under private ownership. Location The ruins ...

are situated on a long, but narrow rock above the urban centre of Münchenstein. The oldest residential buildings, that form the village centre are strung in a row along the foot of the castle rock. This pattern is interrupted by the inclination of the Trotte, which is situated directly below the castle ruins.

History

Up until the foundation and the erection of the Castle (Schloss), the small residential colony had only a few houses and the village was named Geckingen. The first historical records in written form was in 1196 and the colony was named as Kekingen. Around the year 1260 the up-rising cavalier family Münch acquired the village on the hills adjacent to the river

Birs The Birs (French: ''Birse'') is a long river in Switzerland that flows through the Jura region and ends as a tributary to the Rhine between Basel and Birsfelden. It is the most important river of the Swiss Jura. Course The Birs has its sour ...

and established their estate there. After the year 1279 the village Geckingen was called Münchenstein. The cavalier family Münch named themselves henceforth Münch von Münchenstein. During 1470 Konrad Münch von Münchenstein had to sell the deeds to the city of

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

. The Trotte served the farmers as wine press and here within the building the tax "Weinzehnt" was taped (every tenth measure was retained as charge/tax). As the governance/sovereignty of Münchenstein was transferred to authorities of the city, the Zehntentrotte was rebuilt. During 1560 it was totally reconstructed and expanded. During the first half of the 19th century the building was refurbished into its modern-day status. Its interior was rebuilt, the wine press rooms were replaced by a large modern hall with oak pillars, a wooden ceiling and historical wall paintings.

Wall Paintings

File:2009-12-06 trotte münchenstein 03.jpg, Das alte Schloss zu Münchenstein File:2009-12-06 trotte münchenstein 02.jpg, Ritter Münch mit seinen knappen File:2009-12-06 trotte münchenstein 01.jpg, Heute baden wir im Rosen – da friss eine der Rosen Das alte Schloss zu Münchenstein ''(The old Castle to Münchenstein):'' During the year 1334 the castle was completed and was at its largest. A few years later, the castle was damaged by the

Basel earthquake The 1356 Basel earthquake is the most significant seismological event to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history and had a moment magnitude in the range of 6.0–7.1.Burkhard VII. Münch achieved sad reputation after the Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs in 1444. According to the legend, after the battle where he acted as negotiator and translator for the

Armagnacs The Armagnac faction was prominent in French politics and warfare during the Hundred Years' War. It was allied with the supporters of Charles, Duke of Orléans against John the Fearless after Charles' father Louis of Orléans was killed on a ...

, he rode his horse across the battlefield to witness the dead and the wounded. As he raised the visor of his helmet he uttered a sentence that was to become famous: "Ich siche in ein rossegarten, den min fordren geret hand vor hunderd jar".old German for "I gaze out into a rosarium, that my ancestors planted one hundred years ago"; a historically documented dictum according to the 122nd "Neujahrsblatt der Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Guten und Gemeinnützigen", Theme: ''Die Schlacht bei St. Jakob an der Birs'', issued 1944 in Basel This ostentation and the arrogant phrase provoked one of the wounded Swiss pikemen to sling a stone into the open visor. The pikeman made the equally famous commentary "Here eat one to the roses".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trotte (Munchenstein) Münchenstein Buildings and structures in Basel-Landschaft