Lenzburg Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lenzburg Castle |
|
|---|---|
| Lenzburg | |
Lenzburg Castle from the southeast
|
|
 Lenzburg Castle
|
|
| Coordinates | 47°23′15″N 8°11′08″E / 47.38738°N 8.18548°E |
| Type | hill castle |
| Code | CH-AG |
| Height | 508 m above the sea |
| Site information | |
| Condition | preserved |
| Site history | |
| Built | before 1036 |
Lenzburg Castle (German: Schloss Lenzburg) is a castle located above the old part of the town of Lenzburg in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland. It ranks among the oldest and most important of Switzerland. The castle stands on the almost circular castle hill (altitude: 504 m), which rises approximately 100 m (330 ft) over the surrounding plain but is only about 250 m (820 ft) in diameter. The oldest parts of the castle date to the 11th century, when the Counts of Lenzburg built it as their seat. The castle, its historical museum and the castle hill with its Neolithic burial grounds are listed as heritage sites of national significance.
History
The prominent hill was already a settlement site in prehistoric times. For example, in 1959 a Neolithic gravesite was uncovered in the carpark. There have also been small discoveries from the Roman and Alemannic eras.
A legend tells that there was once a dragon living in a cave in the hillside, who was defeated by two knights, Wolfram and Guntram. The grateful people made the two Counts of Lenzburg and gave them permission to build a castle on the hilltop.
Images for kids
-
View of the castle from the north
-
View of Lenzburg and Lenzburg Castle in about 1642, by Matthäus Merian
-
The east bastion
-
Plaque at the castle commemorating Frank Wedekind, 'who spent his childhood years at Lenzburg Castle and often stayed and worked at the house in which his mother later resided, Zum Steinbrüchli'
-
Arms of the Holy Roman Empire, the Canton of Bern and the von Erlach family above the upper gatehouse
-
The Vogt's residence, or Landvogtei
-
Stapfer House
