The ruins of the former castle Witwald, whether the mineral spring resort will be renovated for 300,000 francs
The first mention of a gentleman of Eptingen was found in a fake. In a fictitious deed of 1189 for the monastery Schöntal Gottfried von Eptingen was listed as a witness and as his residence the castle in Eptingen. There are no other documentary sources, but plenty of structural traces, as can be read in the account of Walther Merz, "The Castles of Sisgau" (1909-19014). A total of five castles built the sex, three in the area of Eptingen, two on the community ban of Diegten. The great earthquake of 1356 brought them to collapse.
Wild-Eptingen, as Witwald Castle was first named, was the most recent construction on a projecting rock head, the only one rebuilt after the earthquake. Over the generations, the family divided into different branches. She preferred more comfortable residential areas to the end of the Diegtertal. Thus, the Witwald was already in disrepair when they sold the knights Hermann and Ludwig von Eptingen on March 13, 1487 after a protracted feud with the Solothurners for 550 guilders of the city of Basel.
The decline took its course, as the expanding city knew nothing about the new acquisition. By the time only one guard lived in a stable building. Contemporary engravings from the 17th century only show a ruin.
The family Sarasin renovated In 1908, the Basel Rudolf Sarasin acquired the ruins. He cleared away the debris and cleared the walls, if they were still there. His architect Max Alioth mapped the plant and strengthened the wall stumps. The family Sarasin holds until today owned in the village, but the castle overgrown. The entry is now at your own risk, at the entrance are warning signs.
This shall be changed now. This week, the Burg Witwald Foundation was established with the purpose of "preserving the former ancestral seat of the Lords of Eptingen as historically very important buildings and cultural landmarks of the municipality of Eptingen". The foundation is presided over by Christoph Reding, who lives in Eptingen and is deputy Aargau cantonal archaeologist. Municipal manager Thomas Marti is represented as well as his brother, Baselbiet cantonal archeologist Reto Marti.