Trachselwald Castle

Trachselwald Castle (German: Schloss Trachselwald) is a castle in the municipality of Trachselwald in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

History
The name of the rulers of the castle was first mentioned in 1131; at first it belonged to the barons of Trachselwald, then to the barons of Rüti bei Lyssach, and then those of Sumiswald. The barons of Sumiswald sold the castle and surrounding lands to the city of Bern. Bern turned the castle into a sheriffhood.

The castle was rebuilt or expanded several times. Its oldest parts are the keep, which was built out of tuff, and one half of the main building. These parts of the castle were built in the second half of the 12th century. The stair tower was probably built by a master craftsman from Prismell in 1641.

During the Swiss peasant war of 1653, the peasant leader Niklaus Leuenberger, who was arrested on June 19, 1653 was held in Castle Trachselwald until being taken to Bern, where he was executed on August 27.

Now the castle is the governor's seat of the district of Trachselwald.

Castle site
The first castle consisted of a square keep that was about 10 m on each side. The walls were up to 2.7 m thick. The dendrochronology dating of the beams indicates that they came from 1251 to 1253. Along with the keep, part of the main building was added during the first construction period.