Pajor, Ferdinand
Zeugen vergangener Macht und Herrschaft: Schweizer Burgen und Schlösser vom Mittelalter bis heute
The 2016 conference in Spiez gave an insight into the current state of castle research and highlighted aspects of social and cultural history as well as the history of power. The proceedings begin with an introduction to the topic of medieval aristocracy and castle construction (Thomas Biller). This is followed by studies of the castles of the Zähringen dynasty (Heinz Krieg) and in the former diocese of Geneva (Matthieu de la Corbière), a case study of Colombier Castle in Canton Neuchâtel (Ferdinand Pajor) and an overview of early castle construction in what is today Swiss territory (Armand Baeriswyl). Special attention is then devoted to the Habsburg fortified border after 1499 (Peter Niederhäuser). A chronological trajectory from the Middle Ages to the present is drawn by papers on castle construction (Jürg Schweizer) and the castle revival (Elisabeth Crettaz) as well as a study of how castles are used today (Thomas Pauli-Gabi). The publication also contained short monographs and illustrations of 25 Swiss castles that are important from the point of view of both research history and castle typology.
