Laufenburg Castle

The Laufenburg ruin is the ruin of a hilltop castle in the canton of Aargau. It is located south of the Rhine on an elevation in the middle of the town of Laufenburg.

Around 1180, the Habsburgs came into possession of the area around what is now Laufenburg. They had fortifications built on both sides of the Rhine, including the first Laufenburg. Parts of this castle complex were probably later integrated into the new castle complex. When Count Rudolf II of Habsburg wanted to found a town near the castle complexes, the abbess of Säckingen Abbey blocked the project with an arbitration ruling.

Later, Rudolf's son moved his residence to the southern castle complex. He converted it into a residential castle and founded the Habsburg-Laufenburg dynasty. During this time, the keep, which is still visible today, was built. Still in the 13th century, the settlement that had developed around the castle complex received town rights, despite the arbitration ruling, which were renewed in 1328.

However, the Habsburg-Laufenburgers increasingly fell into economic difficulties, so that in 1386, Count Hans IV had to sell the castle and the lordship to Duke Leopold III of Austria for 12,000 guilders. In 1443, troops from Basel and Bern attacked Laufenburg during the Old Zurich War, causing severe damage. During the Burgundian Wars, Laufenburg temporarily fell into the hands of Duke Charles the Bold; after his downfall, Kaspar von Schönau (noble family) took over the town. In 1486, he had the damage caused by the siege repaired.

During the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes conquered the town and the castle three times. It was not until 1648 that the Austrians regained control. At that time, the curtain wall was equipped with defensive towers and was almost as high as the keep. There were numerous rooms, a castle garden, and a castle chapel. However, the condition of the castle was very poor due to the war. When Italian experts determined in 1687 that the castle no longer had any military value, it was increasingly neglected. In 1787, the castle was cleared and from then on used as a quarry. In 1803, the town of Laufenburg bought the remaining ruin for 2815 francs, in 1908 a park was established, and in 1986 the preserved parts of the ruin were renovated.