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Alt Homberg Castle

Coordinates: 47°29′28″N 7°58′23″E / 47.491056°N 7.972999°E / 47.491056; 7.972999
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Alt Homberg Castle
Ruine Alt Homberg
Wittnau, Aargau in Switzerland
Alt Homberg Castle is located in Switzerland
Alt Homberg Castle
Alt Homberg Castle
Alt Homberg Castle is located in Canton of Aargau
Alt Homberg Castle
Alt Homberg Castle
Coordinates47°29′28″N 7°58′23″E / 47.491056°N 7.972999°E / 47.491056; 7.972999
TypeRuined castle
Site information
ConditionPortions visible
Site history
Builtaround 1100

Alt Homberg Castle is a ruined castle in the municipality of Wittnau in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. The castle is classified as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.[1]

History

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Alt Homberg was built around 1100 for the Counts of Homberg on a triangular hilltop north of the village of Wittnau.[2] The first recorded Count of Homberg, Rudolf, appears in a record in 1082 when he married Ita von Habsburg. In 1225 the Homberg line died out and the castle was inherited by the Counts of Frohburg. Over the following years a cadet line of the Frohburg family took the name Neu-Homberg and established a new castle Neu-Homburg near Läufelfingen. In 1323 the last Count of Neu-Homberg, Werner III, died and the castle was inherited by Countess Maria von Oettingen. She sold it on 8 August 1351 to Duke Albrecht of Austria for 400 Marks. On 18 October 1356 the castle was destroyed in the Basel earthquake.[3] After the earthquake the chapel and portions of the castle were quickly rebuilt, but by 1486 it was recorded as the barren castle of Weitnauw.[4] The castle was excavated in 1882-84. Many of the artifacts, dating from the 11th to 15th centuries, are on display in the Historical Museum of Lenzburg Castle.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Kantonsliste A-Objekte: Aargau". KGS Inventar (in German). Federal Office of Civil Protection. 2009. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  2. ^ Alt-Homberg in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  3. ^ Alt-Homberg Archived 2016-12-20 at the Wayback Machine from Swiss Heritage Archived 2016-12-05 at the Wayback Machine accessed 13 December 2016
  4. ^ Swiss Castles.ch - Alt Homburg accessed 13 December 2016