Löwenbourg
Origin of the name Löwenbourg
The German name Löwenburg means « castle of the lion ». It is not known why it was chosen. Around 1200 the lords of Löwenberg, from the Sundgau, introduce a lion into their coat of arms.[1]
Founding of Löwenbourg
The Löwenbourg, in the municipality of Pleigne, owes its first occupation to its Kimmeridgian limestone bedrock, which contains flint, worked as early as the Mousterian by Neanderthals, then in the Epipalaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. The castle dates back to the 10th century. It is not known who built it. Built of wood, it was rebuilt in stone shortly before 1200, passed to the count of Ferrette in the mid-13th century, then to the Habsburgs in the 14th century. In 1526 the Basel family Münch had to cede it to Lucelle Abbey. The monks abandoned the castle in favour of a converted and fortified farm, the « franche courtine », which forms the present estate.[1][2][3]
History of Löwenbourg
75'000 to 65'000 years ago. In the Mousterian, Neanderthals knap the site's flint. The workshop, rich in Levallois-type scrapers, is the second most important in Switzerland after that of Alle.[1]
9000-8000 BC. Epipalaeolithic: at least two other knapping workshops, attributed to Homo sapiens.[1]
around 4000 BC. Flint is extracted in shallow mine galleries and exported to the lakeside settlements at the southern foot of the Jura.[1]
10th century. A first castle is built, of wood.[1][2]
around 1200. The castle is rebuilt in stone. The Löwenbergs, from the Sundgau, introduce a lion into their coat of arms.[1][2]
mid-13th century. The site passes to the count of Ferrette. The castle is remodelled in the 13th century.[1][2]
1300. A fire destroys the castle.[2]
1356. The great earthquake of 1356 damages the castle.[2]
14th century. The site passes to the Habsburgs.[1]
1526. The Basel family Münch has to cede the Löwenbourg to Lucelle Abbey. The monks let the castle fall into ruin.[1][2]
1583-1597. Under Abbot Béat Bapst, construction of residential and administrative buildings, an entrance tower, a late Gothic chapel with a pentagonal apse and an enclosure wall . The work reportedly dates from 1583-1597 (or 1587-1597) and the chapel from 1592-1594, uncertain dates.[1][2]
Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). The estate serves as a refuge for the monks of Lucelle.[1]
18th century. Further wings are added, along with the farmer's and guests' house and a dairy, now a museum.[1]
after the French Revolution. The estate passes into private hands.[1]
1956. The estate henceforth belongs to the Basel Christoph Merian Foundation, which restores the site and develops a large cattle-breeding operation there.[1]
1959-1967. Archaeological excavations of the castle ruins.[1]
Historic sites in Löwenbourg
Former estate of Lucelle Abbey (« franche courtine »). Farm converted and fortified by the monks of Lucelle, enlarged under Abbot Béat Bapst at the end of the 16th century (residential and administrative buildings, entrance tower, enclosure wall) and again in the 18th century, in late Gothic style. Today it is a farm of about 300 hectares owned by the Christoph Merian Foundation.[1][2]
Chapel of Notre-Dame. Late Gothic chapel with a pentagonal apse, built under Abbot Béat Bapst (in 1592-1594, an uncertain date) and dedicated to Notre-Dame.[1][2]
Museum. Museum housed in the former 18th-century dairy. It displays objects from the prehistoric site of Moulin-Neuf, from the castle ruins and from the estate, with a rich flint collection.[1][2]
Remains in Löwenbourg
Castle ruins. Ruins of the castle, about 500 m south of the estate. Built of wood in the 10th century, rebuilt in stone shortly before 1200, remodelled in the 13th century and damaged by the earthquake of 1356, it was abandoned by the monks of Lucelle after 1526. The ruins were excavated from 1959 to 1967.[1][2]
Prehistoric flint workshops and mines. Mousterian Neanderthal flint-knapping workshop, Epipalaeolithic workshops (pointed bladelets, backed blades, burins, scrapers, borers) and shallow Neolithic mine galleries from around 4000 BC.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Löwenbourg » (François Schifferdecker)
- Commune de Pleigne, « Le Löwenbourg »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Pleigne » (François Kohler)
- Statistique Jura, tableau JU-T.01.01.03, population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025
- geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Löwenburg »
Other villages near Löwenbourg
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