Radegg Castle Ruins

Radegg was a spur castle built around the year 1200 and destroyed around the year 1300. It is located high above the Wangental on a spur of the Rossberg which drops off steeply on three sides in Osterfingen in the municipality of Wilchingen.

Little is known about their origin and destruction nor about those who had built the castle, the barons von Radegg. This family is first mentioned in 1188 with a reference to Heinrich Scado. A knight Rudolf nobilis dictus Schade de Radegg is documented around the year 1225. In the 13th century there existed, in addition to the barons von Radegg, a second family of the same name. The bourgeois family Schad von Radegg settled in Schaffhausen in the Late Middle Ages. This makes it difficult to firmly assign individuals to the Ruins of Radegg. This baronial family died out in 1333. According to Johann Jakob Rüeger, chronicler of the history of Schaffhausen, the Randecker family was related to the lords of the castles of Burg Randeck, Randenburg and Schloss Randegg.

The remains of the walls still visible today were not built before 1200. Whether or not there was a previous wooden construction on this site cannot be excluded, but also cannot be demonstrated. The castle was presumably destroyed shortly after 1300. By whom and why is unclear. On the inside of the castle, the limestone has reddened, which is suggestive of a fire. One reason for the destruction could be that the von Radegg family had attempted to protect the Rheinau Abbey from the claims of the neighboring von Krenkingen family. In addition, arrowheads and crossbow bolts were discovered during excavations.

The castle was built along a line. It comprised a massive tower, a courtyard with a cistern and a second tower. The eastern defensive walls are up to four meters thick, whereas the southern walls facing the steep Wangental are only 2.8 meters thick. The building plan, which includes embossed corner blocks and massive stone blocks, is indicative of a construction date around 1200. The northeastern plateau is protected by ramparts and moats.In addition, there are still visible traces of earlier mining of materials.

Hiking trails lead from Osterfingen through the Wangental to Bad Osterfingen. It is a steep climb directly up to the ruins. The second path runs less steeply from Osterfingen through the Haartel Valley to the Rossberghof. From there it takes about 30 minutes to the ruins. The site is freely accessible with the proper caution. There is a rest area and fire pit at the ruins.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Zollstrasse, Wilchingen, Switzerland

Details

Founded: c. 1200
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Switzerland