Rapperswil Castle
Encyclopedia
Rapperswil Castle is a castle
in the city of Rapperswil
. It is located on the eastern shore of the Lake Zurich
and belongs to the municipality
of Rapperswil-Jona
in the canton of St. Gallen
, Switzerland
. Since 1870, the castle has been home to the Polish National Museum
created by Polish émigrés, including the castle's lessee and restorer, Count Wladyslaw Broel-Plater
. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance
.
of the city of Rapperswil
is dominated by the castle perched atop a longish rocky hill on the peninsula
called Lindenhof on its western side respectively Herrenberg on its eastern side where the castle was built. It is surrounded on three sides by the Lake Zürich
. Thus, the castle was well protected, dominating the old town of Rapperswil, and controlling the water way between Lake Walen
and Lake Zürich on its most narrow part, as well as the medieval
route between Lombardy
and Zürich
, and the Jakobsweg (Way of St. James) to the Einsiedeln Abbey
. The castle is situated next to Stadtpfarrkirche Rapperswil
and (to the east) a former small castle, as of today Stadtmuseum Rapperswil
.
) were built by Count Rudolf II and his son Rudolf III of Rapperswil. It was founded when the nobility of Rapperswil moved from Altendorf
(SZ) across the lake to the other side of the so-called Seedamm
. The counts of Rapperswil had possessions in what is now Eastern and Central Switzerland, and they acted as Vögte
of Einsiedeln Abbey
. Sandstone
from the Lützelau
island was used to built the castle, the town walls and the city. The Counts of Rapperswil became extinct in 1283 with the death of the 18 year old Count Rudolf V of Rapperswil, after which emperor Rudolf I
acquired their fiefs. The Grafschaft
of Rapperswil proper passed to the house of Homberg represented by Count Ludwig († April, 27 1289) by fist marriage of Elisabeth of Rapperswil. Around 1309 the Grafschaft passed to Count Rudolf († 1315) of Habsburg-Laufenburg by second marriage of Elisabeth of Rapperswil, the sister of Rudolf V, followed by her son, Count Johann I († 1337) and his son, Johann II († 1380).
In 1350, an attempted coup by the aristocratic opposition (a central person was Count Johann II) in the city of Zürich was forcefully put down, and the town walls of Rapperswil and the castle were destroyed by Rudolf Brun
. Eis-zwei-Geissebei
, a Carnival festival hold in Rapperswil on Shrove Tuesday
, may go back to the siege and destruction of the city of Rapperswil. The battlements and the castle were rebuilt by Albrecht II, Duke of Austria
in 1352/54. After the extinction of the line of Habsburg-Laufenburg in 1442, the castle was given to the citizens of Rapperswil. Ending Old Zürich War
, Rapperswil was controlled by the Swiss Confederation from 1458 to 1798 as a so-called Gemeine Herrschaft, i.e. under control of two cantons of the Old Swiss Conferation and their representant, a Vogt, and Rapperswil castle became an administration site respectively military base
and prison.
Over the course of time, the castle fell into disrepair. In 1870, the castle was leased for 99 years from the local authorities by a post-November 1830 Uprising
Polish émigré, Count Wladyslaw Broel-Plater
(a relative of Emilia Plater
, a heroine of the same 1830 Uprising), who had been in Switzerland since 1844. At his own expense he restored the castle, and on October 23, 1870, opened there the Polish National Museum
. Except for two hiatuses (1927–36, 1952–75), the Museum has existed to the present day — an outpost of Polish culture in Switzerland
, the country which, over the past two centuries, has given refuge to generations of Poland's sons and daughters bereft of their own country. In 2008, some Rapperswil residents petitioned local authorities to evict the Polish Museum from its home in the castle, as two historical museum locations (Stadtmuseum
and Polish Museum) estimated to be too expensive. The Museum is conducting a petition campaign to retain the Museum in the castle; the Stadtmuseum (museum of local history) will be kept respectively in 2010/11 renewed at his actual location at the nearby Breny house at Herrenberg.
, each corner is reinforced with a tower. The highest tower in the southwest is called donjon or Gügeliturm in Swiss-German language, where the so-called Hochwächter warned the residents against approaching danger or fire. The five-sided Zeitturm, a clock tower
in the east, houses three bells and beside a sundial and two large clocks. Between these two towers the castle's palais is situated. In addition, ramparts respectively battlements are leading to the third tower in the northwest, the so-called Pulverturm (powder tower).
On the castle's terrace, the eastern part of the so-called Lindenhof, the Polish freedom pillar is situated, as a sign of Switzerland's solidarity with peoples who struggle for their freedom. From there is also an impressing view over the Altstadt
, upper and lower Lake Zürich
, on the Seedamm
from Rapperswil to Hurden and the to Glarus Alps
, as well to the Bachtel mountain. On the northern side of the Lindenhof plateau stretches a supervised Deer
park with 10-15 deer down toward the lake, which is a reminder of the legend of its founding. In the castle's palais
, there is located next to the Polish Museum a restaurant. Guided tours are offered by the museum.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the city of Rapperswil
Rapperswil
Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On...
. It is located on the eastern shore of the Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
and belongs to the municipality
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
of Rapperswil-Jona
Rapperswil-Jona
Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On...
in the canton of St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Since 1870, the castle has been home to the Polish National Museum
Polish Museum, Rapperswil
The Polish Museum, Rapperswil, was founded in Rapperswil, Switzerland, on October 23, 1870, by Polish Count Władysław Broel-Plater, at the urging of Agaton Giller, as "a refuge for [Poland's] historic memorabilia dishonored and plundered in the [occupied Polish] homeland" and for the promotion of...
created by Polish émigrés, including the castle's lessee and restorer, Count Wladyslaw Broel-Plater
Wladyslaw Plater
Władysław Plater was a Polish count, brother of Cezary Plater, and a relative of Emilia Plater...
. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
Geography
The medieval AltstadtAltstadt
Altstadt is the German language word for "old town", meaning "historical city centre within the city wall", in contrast to a Neustadt built outside later....
of the city of Rapperswil
Rapperswil
Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On...
is dominated by the castle perched atop a longish rocky hill on the peninsula
Rapperswil Peninsula
Rapperswil Peninsula is a peninsula located in Rapperswil on the northeastern Lake Zürich shore in Switzerland. On the northwest, Kempratnerbucht is situated, on the south Seedamm respectively Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden is linking both shores of the lake respectively Obersee .Kapuzinerkloster...
called Lindenhof on its western side respectively Herrenberg on its eastern side where the castle was built. It is surrounded on three sides by the Lake Zürich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
. Thus, the castle was well protected, dominating the old town of Rapperswil, and controlling the water way between Lake Walen
Lake Walen
Walensee is one of the larger lakes in Switzerland, for about 2/3 of its surface in the Canton of St. Gallen and for 1/3 in the Canton of Glarus. It is also known as Lake Walen or Lake Walenstadt, after Walenstadt. Other towns and villages at the lake include: Weesen, Quinten, Quarten, and Murg.The...
and Lake Zürich on its most narrow part, as well as the medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
route between Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
and Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, and the Jakobsweg (Way of St. James) to the Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated...
. The castle is situated next to Stadtpfarrkirche Rapperswil
Stadtpfarrkirche Rapperswil
Stadtpfarrkirche St. Johann is a Roman Catholic parish church in the city of Rapperswil, canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland.- Geography :...
and (to the east) a former small castle, as of today Stadtmuseum Rapperswil
Stadtmuseum Rapperswil
Stadtmuseum Rapperswil is a museum of local history and art in Rapperswil, canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.- Location :The museum is situated in three Middle Ages buildings, remains of a former castle as part of the town walls of Rapperswil, as of today in the so-called Breny house, a keep, and...
.
History
Rapperswil Castle dates back around 1220 and is first mentioned in 1229. The castle and the fortifications of the former locus Endingen (given by Einsiedeln AbbeyEinsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated...
) were built by Count Rudolf II and his son Rudolf III of Rapperswil. It was founded when the nobility of Rapperswil moved from Altendorf
Altendorf
Altendorf can mean any of the following:*Altendorf, Schwyz, a municipality in Switzerland*Altendorf, Upper Franconia, a town in the district of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany*Altendorf, Upper Palatinate, a town in the district of Schwandorf, Bavaria, Germany...
(SZ) across the lake to the other side of the so-called Seedamm
Seedamm
Seedamm is the partially artificial dam and bridge at the most narrow area of Lake Zurich, between Hurden and Rapperswil .- Geography and location :...
. The counts of Rapperswil had possessions in what is now Eastern and Central Switzerland, and they acted as Vögte
Vogt (Switzerland)
thumb|left|[[Franz Rudolf Frisching]], [[bailiff]] in the [[Vallemaggia |Vallemaggia]] in 1770, in the uniform of an officer of the [[Bernese]] Huntsmen Corps with his [[Berner Laufhund]], painted by [[Jean Preudhomme]] in 1785...
of Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated...
. Sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
from the Lützelau
Lützelau
Lützelau is an island located, with the neighbouring island of Ufenau, in Lake Zürich in Switzerland between Rapperswil and Freienbach .- Geography :...
island was used to built the castle, the town walls and the city. The Counts of Rapperswil became extinct in 1283 with the death of the 18 year old Count Rudolf V of Rapperswil, after which emperor Rudolf I
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
acquired their fiefs. The Grafschaft
Grafschaft
Grafschaft can refer to:* a German term for county, in a sense that it is an area which belonged to a count . However, administrative districts without a count, which would also be called counties in English-speaking countries, are not called Grafschaft in German.**List of states in the Holy Roman...
of Rapperswil proper passed to the house of Homberg represented by Count Ludwig († April, 27 1289) by fist marriage of Elisabeth of Rapperswil. Around 1309 the Grafschaft passed to Count Rudolf († 1315) of Habsburg-Laufenburg by second marriage of Elisabeth of Rapperswil, the sister of Rudolf V, followed by her son, Count Johann I († 1337) and his son, Johann II († 1380).
In 1350, an attempted coup by the aristocratic opposition (a central person was Count Johann II) in the city of Zürich was forcefully put down, and the town walls of Rapperswil and the castle were destroyed by Rudolf Brun
Rudolf Brun
Rudolf Brun was the leader of the Zürich guilds' revolution of 1336, and the city's first independent mayor....
. Eis-zwei-Geissebei
Eis-zwei-Geissebei
Eis-zwei-Geissebei is a Carnival festival held in Rapperswil on Shrove Tuesday.- History and origin :Its origin may go back to the siege and destruction of the city of Rapperswil at St. Matthew in 1350 by Rudolf Brun, first mayor of the city of Zürich...
, a Carnival festival hold in Rapperswil on Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is a term used in English-speaking countries, especially in Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Germany, and parts of the United States for the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of fasting and prayer called Lent.The...
, may go back to the siege and destruction of the city of Rapperswil. The battlements and the castle were rebuilt by Albrecht II, Duke of Austria
Albert II, Duke of Austria
Albert II of Austria , known as the Wise or the Lame, was Duke of Austria.-Life:Albert II was born at Habsburg, the son of Albert I of Germany, Rex Romanorum, and Elisabeth of Tirol...
in 1352/54. After the extinction of the line of Habsburg-Laufenburg in 1442, the castle was given to the citizens of Rapperswil. Ending Old Zürich War
Old Zürich War
The Old Zürich War , 1440–46, was a conflict between the canton of Zürich and the other seven cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy over the succession to the Count of Toggenburg....
, Rapperswil was controlled by the Swiss Confederation from 1458 to 1798 as a so-called Gemeine Herrschaft, i.e. under control of two cantons of the Old Swiss Conferation and their representant, a Vogt, and Rapperswil castle became an administration site respectively military base
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
and prison.
Over the course of time, the castle fell into disrepair. In 1870, the castle was leased for 99 years from the local authorities by a post-November 1830 Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
Polish émigré, Count Wladyslaw Broel-Plater
Wladyslaw Plater
Władysław Plater was a Polish count, brother of Cezary Plater, and a relative of Emilia Plater...
(a relative of Emilia Plater
Emilia Plater
Countess Emilia Plater was a Polish-Lithuanian noblewoman and revolutionary from the lands of the partitioned Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
, a heroine of the same 1830 Uprising), who had been in Switzerland since 1844. At his own expense he restored the castle, and on October 23, 1870, opened there the Polish National Museum
Polish Museum, Rapperswil
The Polish Museum, Rapperswil, was founded in Rapperswil, Switzerland, on October 23, 1870, by Polish Count Władysław Broel-Plater, at the urging of Agaton Giller, as "a refuge for [Poland's] historic memorabilia dishonored and plundered in the [occupied Polish] homeland" and for the promotion of...
. Except for two hiatuses (1927–36, 1952–75), the Museum has existed to the present day — an outpost of Polish culture in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the country which, over the past two centuries, has given refuge to generations of Poland's sons and daughters bereft of their own country. In 2008, some Rapperswil residents petitioned local authorities to evict the Polish Museum from its home in the castle, as two historical museum locations (Stadtmuseum
Stadtmuseum Rapperswil
Stadtmuseum Rapperswil is a museum of local history and art in Rapperswil, canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.- Location :The museum is situated in three Middle Ages buildings, remains of a former castle as part of the town walls of Rapperswil, as of today in the so-called Breny house, a keep, and...
and Polish Museum) estimated to be too expensive. The Museum is conducting a petition campaign to retain the Museum in the castle; the Stadtmuseum (museum of local history) will be kept respectively in 2010/11 renewed at his actual location at the nearby Breny house at Herrenberg.
Architecture and points of interest
Rebuilt by Duke Albert II, since 1354 the castle forms an almost equilateral triangleTriangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
, each corner is reinforced with a tower. The highest tower in the southwest is called donjon or Gügeliturm in Swiss-German language, where the so-called Hochwächter warned the residents against approaching danger or fire. The five-sided Zeitturm, a clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
in the east, houses three bells and beside a sundial and two large clocks. Between these two towers the castle's palais is situated. In addition, ramparts respectively battlements are leading to the third tower in the northwest, the so-called Pulverturm (powder tower).
On the castle's terrace, the eastern part of the so-called Lindenhof, the Polish freedom pillar is situated, as a sign of Switzerland's solidarity with peoples who struggle for their freedom. From there is also an impressing view over the Altstadt
Altstadt
Altstadt is the German language word for "old town", meaning "historical city centre within the city wall", in contrast to a Neustadt built outside later....
, upper and lower Lake Zürich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
, on the Seedamm
Seedamm
Seedamm is the partially artificial dam and bridge at the most narrow area of Lake Zurich, between Hurden and Rapperswil .- Geography and location :...
from Rapperswil to Hurden and the to Glarus Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, as well to the Bachtel mountain. On the northern side of the Lindenhof plateau stretches a supervised Deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
park with 10-15 deer down toward the lake, which is a reminder of the legend of its founding. In the castle's palais
Palais
Palais may refer to:* Palace, Palais in French**Grand Palais**Petit Palais* Palais River in the French département of Deux-Sèvres...
, there is located next to the Polish Museum a restaurant. Guided tours are offered by the museum.
External links
- Castle of Rapperswil (official site)