Switzerland · 13th century
Burgistein Castle ranks #6,794 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #111 of the 213 mapped in Switzerland. Founded 1260, it is older than 66% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 1091 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. 23 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.
Burgistein Castle (German: Schloss Burgistein) is a castle in the municipality of Burgistein in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
The first castle at Burgistein was built by Jordan I of Thun (later of Burgistein) in 1260. Jordan III of Burgistein fought on the losing side in the Battle of Laupen in 1339. In retaliation a Bernese army attacked and destroyed the castle in 1340. It was rebuilt in the following years. In 1397 the Burgistein family died out and the castle was inherited by Werner Münzer. Over the following century it passed through numerous owners until 1484 when the Wattenwyl family acquired it. They owned the castle until 1714, when it passed to the Graffenried family. The 14th-century castle was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Text adapted from “Burgistein Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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