Zwing Uri Castle
Encyclopedia
Zwing Uri is the name of a ruined medieval castle north of Amsteg, today in the territory of the municipality
of Silenen
in the canton
of Uri
in Switzerland
. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance
.
The castle is notable for its role in Swiss historiography as the first fortress destroyed in the Burgenbruch at the beginning of the Swiss Confederacy. The slighting
of Zwing Uri (Twing Üren) is mentioned in the White Book of Sarnen
, a Swiss chronicle of 1470. The event is placed in the year 1307 by the Chronicon Helveticum
(1570).
Archaeological excavations of the ruin performed in 1978 have cast doubt on these traditions.
It was established that the site had been occupied since the Bronze Age. By 1150, there had been a farmstead with three buildings. By the early 13th century, the dwelling was replaced by a defensive tower. During the period of 1310 to 1320, the tower was still standing, and there are traces of a planned expansion into a full castle with a ring wall and a moat. This expansion was interrupted at about six weeks into the construction work, and the site was abandoned in ca. 1320. The site remained unoccupied until 1868, when a restaurant was built, using stones from the ruin.
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 Silenen
Silenen
Silenen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Silenen has an area, , of . Of this area, 12.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.7% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
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....
. 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...
.
The castle is notable for its role in Swiss historiography as the first fortress destroyed in the Burgenbruch at the beginning of the Swiss Confederacy. The slighting
Slighting
A slighting is the deliberate destruction, partial or complete, of a fortification without opposition. During the English Civil War this was to render it unusable as a fort.-Middle Ages:...
of Zwing Uri (Twing Üren) is mentioned in the White Book of Sarnen
White Book of Sarnen
The White Book of Sarnen is a collection of medieval manuscripts compiled in the late 15th century by Hans Schriber in the canton of Obwalden. This volume, 258 pages in length, was given its name because of the white parchment in which it is bound...
, a Swiss chronicle of 1470. The event is placed in the year 1307 by the Chronicon Helveticum
Chronicon Helveticum
The Chronicon Helveticum is one of the oldest accounts of the early history of the Swiss Confederation.The rough draft of the Chronicon Helveticum was written by the historian Aegidius Tschudi from Glarus in 1550...
(1570).
Archaeological excavations of the ruin performed in 1978 have cast doubt on these traditions.
It was established that the site had been occupied since the Bronze Age. By 1150, there had been a farmstead with three buildings. By the early 13th century, the dwelling was replaced by a defensive tower. During the period of 1310 to 1320, the tower was still standing, and there are traces of a planned expansion into a full castle with a ring wall and a moat. This expansion was interrupted at about six weeks into the construction work, and the site was abandoned in ca. 1320. The site remained unoccupied until 1868, when a restaurant was built, using stones from the ruin.