Hospental Castle

Hospental Castle or Langobarden Towers is a ruined medieval castle in the municipality of Hospental in the canton of Uri in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.^[1]

L'hopital, early 19th century

Hospental Tower
Hospental
Tower with the Spitzberg in background (2006)
Site information
Type	Spur castle
Code	CH-UR
Condition	Ruin, partially conserved
Location
Hospental Tower Show map of Canton of Uri Hospental Tower Show map of Switzerland
Coordinates	46°37′07″N 8°34′00″E
Height	1,509 m above the sea
Site history
Built	13th century

History

The tower, which was made of uncut stones, was erected in the 13th century for the Hospental family, originally serving as a watch tower^{[citation needed]}. The castle most likely didn't serve as means to control the flow of inbound people (e.g., as a customs facility), but rather as a prison. From the 15th century, Hospental castle was no longer inhabited and gradually fell into a dilapidated state. In 1898, it was widely restored. The site is declared as a cultural heritage site of national importance.^[2]

Description

The tower is built with a tall entrance on the first floor. Clearly visible to this day are the so called garderobe, the locations of the fireplaces, as well as artificially created ditch, which serves to protect from enemy approaches. The rain water that comes from the crenellated roof on the third floor was collected in a cistern.^[2]

See also

• List of castles and fortresses in Switzerland