Benzingen, medieval castle site

En un regard

Le château en bref

The ruins of Burg Benzigen occupy a terrace north of Schwanden (Glarus Süd), which falls steeply towards the Linth. The complex consisted of two parts: a large outer bailey and, somewhat higher up, a massive tower built of very large blocks, of which only a section of wall some fifteen metres long survives. Neither the builder nor the original name is known; the site, probably gained by clearing woodland, seems to have been the private property of the knights of Schwanden, one of whom, a Heinricus de Swando, appears in a charter of 1240. The name Benzigen is merely that of a locality, first attested in 1774 in connection with the castle. In the nineteenth century the southern part was probably levelled, and excavations in 2005 and 2008 clarified the plan without yielding any medieval strata. The site is freely accessible and is equipped with a small barbecue area in front of the ruins.