Binningen Castle

Binningen Castle is a castle in the center of the Basel-Landschaft municipality of Binningen near Basel. Today, the castle houses a restaurant with a hotel. Originally, the complex was designed as a moated castle, but the body of water was filled in 1772.

Binningen Castle is now located in a small park directly on the tram line to Basel. The castle is a rectangular building with an inner courtyard. A small round tower rises at the southeastern corner, and the restaurant's outdoor terrace is now on the east side. The exterior facade is white, with only the windows surrounded by red sandstone.

It is now assumed that the castle was built in 1293 by the Basel citizen Heinrich von Zeise as a moated castle. The Basel earthquake in 1356 left only the castle's foundations standing. In 1409, the castle finally burned down to a ruin. When it was rebuilt 10 years later, it was destroyed again in 1444 during the St. Jakobskrieg by the Habsburgs.

Because around 1520 the Canton of Solothurn showed interest in the village and the castle, a council member of the city of Basel decided to buy the property to stop the danger of a Solothurn expansion on their doorstep. Depending on the need, the castle was then used as an outpost for Basel troops. It successively belonged to the Grieb and Escher vom Glas families. However, as early as 1545, Joachim van Berchem and a certain Johann von Brügge bought the property from the city. As was later discovered, Herr von Brügge was none other than David Joris, an Anabaptist leader who lived in Basel under a false name. In 1574, ownership of the castle passed to Nikolaus von Hatstatt, who in turn bequeathed the castle to the city of Basel after his death.

After the city had leased the castle for several years, it was first sold to the Eckstein family until it fell into the hands of the Counts of Sulz from Württemberg in 1613. This was followed by Georg Wilhelm von Freudenstein and Baron von Polheim as owners. In 1772, the moat around the castle was drained. In 1817, the castle was sold to Niklaus Singeisen from Liestal, who wanted to set up a casino there, but the project was successfully prevented by a neighboring innkeeper. In 1870, a restaurant finally opened in the castle for the first time. Numerous renovations followed until the municipality of Binningen bought the castle in 1960.