Baldern Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Burgstelle Baldern occupies the crest of the Albis ridge, in the municipality of Stallikon (canton of Zurich), at about 810 m above sea level and four kilometres south of the summit of the Uetliberg. No visible masonry survives, only landform features: two plateaus separated by a ditch, measuring 40 × 40 m to the north and about 74 × 45 m to the south, where the main motte once stood. The site has only been subject to superficial probing around 1860, and no archaeological excavation has been carried out. A legend recorded around 1510 attributes its foundation to Louis the German in 853, but nothing proves this. The chronicler Wipo reports that in 1027 Duke Ernest II of Swabia fortified a stronghold above Zurich, though it cannot be identified with certainty as Baldern. Around the middle of the 12th century, the fortress belonged to the Counts of Lenzburg, who also administered the Zurich palace and the imperial advocacy; the Grossmünster names Kuno of Lenzburg, died 1168, as Count of Baldern. A noble family name derived from the site is attested in the second half of the 13th century. The dates and reasons for its abandonment remain unknown. The site is today freely accessible on the Albis ridge trail, with a picnic area.