メルヴリエの洞窟・トップ6

Currently, the palace, the formerly multi-story main building of a medieval castle, is being covered with a new transparent roof structure. A fantastic and very impressive construction.

Zwingen Castle is picturesquely situated at the entrance to the Laufental valley. This well-preserved medieval complex once served as an administrative center and customs station. Today, the tower, the ring walls, and the village center define the historic townscape. It is freely accessible and makes a worthwhile stop for hikes along the Birs river and short visits.

A short, entertaining visit to the complex before heading straight to Laufen.

Beautiful trail

From the ruins, there are two possible routes to the Balmberg. 1. The old Balmberg road, a fairly steep dirt road. 2. Follow cycle path 44 through forest and paved roads to the top of the pass.

The Balmfluh castle ruins are clearly visible from the trail. It's worth getting off your bike for a moment and taking a look at the old walls.

For a long time, there was an old paper factory, known as "Papiri" for short, directly behind the castle. It used the water of the Birs. Unimaginable from today's perspective, large parts of the castle complex were demolished and rebuilt to expand the factory. The former factory has now been demolished and a huge playground is being planted in its place. The mighty chimney will remain in the middle of the greenery as a visible reminder of the Papiri. The management buildings have been renovated. The rooms are rented out to commercial enterprises. This means that Zwingen Castle will once again have a more spacious environment and will once again be the focus of the Birs landscape.

Zwingen Castle forms the core of the medieval town of Zwingen in Laufental in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft. The main castle, Zwingen Castle, with its inner castle, chapel and wooden bridge, is a well-preserved building from the Middle Ages. The oldest parts date from the middle of the 13th century and are still worth a visit today, 700 years later.