Château du Schlossberg
Origin of the name Château du Schlossberg
In French as in German, the castle is called Schlossberg. It overlooks La Neuveville, on the Route du Château.[4]
Founding of Château du Schlossberg
Prince-bishop Henri d'Isny of Basel began the castle in 1283, with the consent of Rudolf of Habsburg, to protect his lands against the counts of Neuchâtel. His successor Pierre Reich de Reichenstein completed it in 1288, fortifying the southern border of the bishopric. It was a strictly military building, facing the county of Neuchâtel, put up some thirty years before the town that grew at its foot. The castellan, the prince-bishop's representative, lived here until the 16th century.[1][2][3][4][5]
History of Château du Schlossberg
1283. Henri d'Isny obtains from Rudolf of Habsburg the right to build the castle and starts work.[2][3]
1288. On 1 September Rudolf allows Pierre Reich de Reichenstein to continue the building, which the bishop completes.[2][3]
1295. On 12 December the lords of Valangin, Jean and Thierry, cede their fortress of La Neuveville as a freehold to Pierre Reich de Reichenstein.[3]
1342. The castle and the town come under the protection of the house of Neuchâtel.[2]
1367. On 15 November Bern besieges the castle. The townspeople, helped by bishop Jean de Vienne, drive off the attack.[2][3]
1386. On 13 October Imier de Ramstein undertakes not to pledge the castle without the town, nor the town without the castle.[3]
1404. On 22 December counts Humbert and Thiébaud of Neuchâtel renounce the castle in favour of the bishops of Basel.[3]
1417. On 13 November the abbot of Bellelay, Henri Nerr, sells the chapter of Saint-Imier the house his abbey owns at the Schlossberg.[3]
16th-17th centuries. As the bishopric weakens, the castle decays, and the castellans prefer to live in town.[2][4]
1531. On 15 November an ordinance regulates the defence and security of the Schlossberg.[3]
1607. On 5 February prince-bishop Jacques-Christophe Blarer de Wartensee orders La Neuveville to provide the castle with a good garrison.[3]
1620. On 4 February a contract is made to restore the castle.[3]
1771. The castle is plundered on 3 August.[3]
1800. On 2 May the department of Haut-Rhin sells it as national property (or as early as 1798). It becomes private property.[2][3]
1820. David Imer-Vernet buys it in order to demolish it. Charles-Louis Schnider-Gibollet buys it back in 1842.[3]
1884. A first restoration saves the castle (or 1883). A second follows in 1931 (or 1930).[2][3][4]
1933. On the death of Louis-Philippe Imer, who had restored it, the castle is bequeathed to La Neuveville and the canton of Bern. The municipality accepts the bequest on 13 July 1934, the canton in 1942.[2][3]
1949. The municipal council decides to rent out the castle, lived in by a family ever since.[2][3]
Historic sites in Château du Schlossberg
Château du Schlossberg. The medieval fortified castle overlooks La Neuveville. It is jointly owned by the municipality and the canton.[2][4]
Curtain wall and gardens. The curtain wall was strengthened in 1961 with a Bernese grant of 10'000 francs, then restored in 2002 and in 2010-2011. In 2006 the canton granted 240'000 francs to restore the gardens.[3]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Neuveville, La (commune) » (Pierre-Olivier Léchot, version du 21.10.2019)
- Dictionnaire du Jura, « Schlossberg (château) » (Jacques Bourquard et Jean-René Quenet)
- Chronologie jurassienne, « Schlossberg » (La Neuveville, monuments historiques)
- Commune de La Neuveville, curiosités, « Château de Schlossberg »
- Société de développement de La Neuveville, « Un peu d'histoire »
Other villages near Château du Schlossberg
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