Stockalper Palace

The Stockalper Castle rises on the old Simplonstrasse in Brig-Glis. The three-towered regional landmark is not only the main work of the ambitious building program of the potentate, but also the largest secular baroque building in what is now Switzerland.

Stockalper Castle, Brig
Lord of the Castle Kaspar Stockalper
Kaspar Stockalper (1609 - 1691), who is often erroneously given the middle name "Jodok", was undoubtedly the most influential person in Brig. Coming from an influential family, he enjoyed an excellent education in his youth, including at various foreign universities in Europe . He learned a total of six languages including Latin. After that, the versatile talent went to work with extreme determination and way ahead of his time: He built up a European trading network that is unparalleled in the entire Alpine region. The Stockalper, known as the "Fugger of the Alps" or the "King of the Simplon", became immeasurably rich. You can meet him at every turn in the old town of Brig, especially in his castle, the largest secular baroque building in Switzerland.
Stockalper was founded by Emperor Ferdinand III. In gratitude for services rendered, he was awarded the title of nobility “vom Thurm” and made a knight of the empire. A whole series of other aristocratic titles has adorned him and his descendants ever since. Stockalper held pretty much all the offices that the Valais region had to allocate, from the treasurer and Kastlan in Brig to the commander above the Morse to the long-standing state clerk and state governor. The latter appointment, however, turned out to be a mistake. Having reached the top of the political pedestal, he was pushed into the minority by his opponents and envious people and finally forced into exile in Domodossola. Stockalper reached a very old age of 82 for that time and outlived all of his male descendants, whom he fathered in two marriages. After his death, his estates in Valais were evaluated by a commission of the district administrator. His fortune was equivalent to a column of two cows from Brig to Lake Geneva.
The Stockalper Castle
The Stockalper Castle is the landmark of the city of Brig and the largest secular baroque building in Switzerland. Built in the 17th century by Kaspar Stockalper (1609 - 1691), the castle, together with the adjacent house of the Stockalper family, forms an impressive palace complex, which also includes a garden of 13,000 m2. In 1948 the municipality was able to purchase the listed property from the Stockalper family. In the years that followed, it was renovated with the help of the Swiss Foundation for the Stockalper Castle and made available for today's use, in particular as an administration and court building.
The Stockalper Castle impresses with its unique and highly representative design. The three towers are striking, named after the three wise men from the Orient named Kaspar (the builder), Melchior and Balthasar - one of the many visible divisions into three that accompanied the Great Stockalper throughout his life, based on the Trinity. The courtyard, surrounded by arcades specially built for this purpose, appears filigree and at the same time powerful in the overall picture with the three towers. The palace complex is supplemented by the Stockalper Garden, which in 2002, according to plans by Prof. Kienast and in the spirit of Stockalper's tripartite division, includes a walk-in ornamental garden, a pommarium and a vineyard, the grapes of which are pressed annually. In the palace chapel in honor of the Three Kings, a special mass is read on their name day. The castle also houses an interesting permanent exhibition (“Passage Simplon”), which tells the history of the city, which is closely linked to the pass.
Source: 800 years of Brig/800yearsbrig.ch (06.2016)
Text / Source: Brig-Simplon Tourismus
brig-simplon.ch/schloss/geschichte.php

One of the special highlights of the Grand Tour