Burgdorf Castle

Burgdorf Castle (German: Schloss Burgdorf) is a castle in the municipality of Burgdorf in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. The castle is 800 years old.

During the High Middle Ages the land that would become Burgdorf was owned by the Kingdom of Burgundy and then after 1080 by the Dukes of Zähringen. Either the kings or the dukes built a castle on the left bank of the Emme river, this castle was first mentioned in 1080 as castellum Bertoldi ducis. In 1077 and 1084, a fortification on the Emme was mentioned, but the specific castle was not named, but it may have referred to Burgdorf. In 1139 it was mentioned as the Upper Castle which implies that there was a Lower Castle nearby. In 1210 it was called castello Burgdorf.

In 1090, the Zähringens inherited the lands of Rheinfelder family when the last male heir died. In 1127, Duke Konrad of Zähringen received the Rectorate over much of Burgundy from Emperor Lothair III. With this authority, they began to accumulate lands and power. During this time the Zähringens founded a number of cities including Burgdorf. Under Duke Berthold V, in 1200, Burgdorf Castle was expanded. The old castle consisted of a gatehouse and attached wall. Berthold V added a tower, donjon and a hall that connected the two. The old market and town was north of the castle at the foot of the hill.

After the extinction of Zähringen line, Burgdorf passed to the Counts of Kyburg. Under the Kyburg or Neu-Kyburg Counts, Burgdorf Castle was the capital of the county, and the counts were the mayors of Burgdorf town. Under the Kyburgs, additional fortifications were added to the castle. The northern curtain wall was extended and two half-round towers were added. The eastern end and the western hall were built up and expanded. When the Kyburg line died out in 1264, the castle passed to Eberhard of Habsburg, who was married to Anna of Kyburg. Eberhard then became the Count of Neu-Kyburg.

In the 14th century, the Neu-Kyburgs became increasingly indebted. On 11 November 1382, Count Rudolf II of Neu-Kyburg launched a raid against the city of Solothurn to try to force the city to forgive his debts. For the city of Bern, this attack on an allied city represented an excellent opportunity for the city to break its ties with the Neu-Kyburgs.

Text adapted from “Burgdorf Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Burgdorf Castle ranks #2,538 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #23 of the 200 mapped in Switzerland. Founded 1200, it is older than 77% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 544 atlas entries founded in the 12th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,282 times in the last 60 days, more than 55% of the atlas. 20 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Bern, 18 km away. See how Switzerland compares in the castle statistics.

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