The Munot is a circular 16th century fortification in the center of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen. It is surrounded by vineyards and serves as the city's symbol. The earliest presence of a castle on a round hill above the river goes back to 1379, but not much is known about the earlier fort. The castle seen today dates in the 16th century at the height of the city’s commercial power, built in a relatively short time between 1564 and 1589. The castle name comes from the middle high German “Annot” meaning without danger, transformed into Munot.

The Munot Fortress was never a residence and its short useful life means it remains nearly exactly as it was built, a relatively pure castle of the Renaissance. Its most distinctive features ar the cavernous camponiere galleries in the foundation, upon entering the castle from below, and walking the winding stone path up the turret. A single large round tower rises from the open stone upper platform with views out to the Rhine past the Roman Turret, which takes its name from its style, rather than from its period, and the surrounding Emmersberg hills. Fallow Deer were introduced to the fortress moat in 1905, and can still be viewed grazing happily undisturbed on the grass below the stone walls.

The Munot Fortress of Schaffhausen is one of the city’s tourist landmarks and the site of many city festivals and events, including a children’s festival and open air cinema shows.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1564-1589
Category: Castles and fortifications in Switzerland

More Information

www.bargaintraveleurope.com

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

TheLordofMovie (4 years ago)
Beautiful medieval castle on top of Schaffhausen. Heaps of nice events, like to Munot Cinema Openair and many, many more! Worth a visit, and it’s even free
poorva salve (4 years ago)
On our visit to zurich, we visited a village Schaffhausen. The schauffhausen castle here is worth a visit. nice view of the village from top of castle.
Calvin LH Wu (4 years ago)
A very special place! Where you can do a little hiking to the top and see this special castle
Arif Mohd (4 years ago)
Community centre for swiss people, not a tourist spot, sports activities was going on when we visited. Nearby cathedral is attractive
Andrés Jara (4 years ago)
+ WC + Great view to the city + Interiors conserved + Access for wheelchair +Free entrance +Clean and tidy.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built in 161 AD by the Athenian magnate Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla. It was originally a steep-sloped theater with a three-story stone front wall and a wooden roof made of expensive cedar of Lebanon timber. It was used as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000. It lasted intact until it was destroyed and left in ruins by the Heruli in 267 AD.

The audience stands and the orchestra (stage) were restored using Pentelic marble in the 1950s. Since then it has been the main venue of the Athens Festival, which runs from May through October each year, featuring a variety of acclaimed Greek as well as International performances.