Grasburg Castle

Grasburg Castle is located near the municipality of Schwarzenburg in Switzerland. It was built in the early 13th century by the Staufer dynasty, a German royal family that governed parts of the regions now known as Bern and Fribourg. The castle’s construction is closely tied to this period of Staufer expansion and control.

The first documentary reference to the site dates back to 1223 under the name “Grasburc.” During the first half of the 13th century, knights Otto and Kuno von Grasburg are recorded as occupants, highlighting the castle’s role as a fortified residence linked to the Staufer imperial domain. A local administrative figure, Jakob Schultheiss von Grassburg, is mentioned in records from 1239, further indicating the castle’s significance as an administrative center. Subsequently, during the period known as the Interregnum, when imperial authority weakened, control of Grasburg shifted to the Kyburg family.

Following the decline of the Staufer dynasty around 1250, Grasburg Castle changed hands multiple times. It came under the dominion of the Kyburgs, briefly passed to the House of Savoy in 1263 or 1264, and then was granted as a fief to Rudolf of Habsburg. Rudolf restored its status as an imperial stronghold, appointing local bailiffs, known as vogts, from prominent families including von Maggenberg, de Corbières, and de Vuippens to oversee the castle and its surrounding lands.

In 1310, King Henry VII pledged Grasburg to Amadeus V of Savoy. The Savoy family and their heirs held possession for more than a century. By the early 15th century, due to the castle’s remote location and a state of disrepair, it was sold in 1423 to the neighboring cities of Bern and Fribourg. These cities established a condominium rule over the castle, administering it jointly and appointing alternating vogts to manage its affairs.

By 1575, Grasburg Castle was abandoned as a seat of administration, which was transferred to Schwarzenburg Castle. Ownership later passed to the Canton of Bern in 1803, and then to the city of Bern in 1894. The city undertook various restoration projects to stabilize and preserve the site, with significant repair work conducted in the early 20th century and further conservation efforts continuing into the 21st century.