Structures of 11th-century castle discovered in Switzerland

A researcher has discovered the structures of a former castle near Uesslingen-Buch in northeastern Switzerland.

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Investigations by the Thurgau Office of Archaeology revealed that it must have been a castle site during the 10th and 11th centuries.

The discovery is of great historical interest, the Office of Archaeology of Canton Thurgau announced on Monday. The site is located just under one kilometre west of the Kartause Ittingen.

Based on comparable finds, it is possible to surmise what the castle might have looked like: a multi-storey tower made of wood, protected by a palisade and deep ditches.

Thurgau Archaeology will not be carrying out any excavations on the newly discovered castle plateaus. According to the press release, any structures and finds will remain in the ground and thus be preserved for future research.

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The discovery was made by a castle researcher from canton Bern. He was analysing a high-resolution relief map on his computer for conspicuous terrain formations. He recognised two small plateaus near Uesslingen-Buch, which are surrounded by steep ditches. He also identified several old hollow ways. According to the Office of Archaeology, these are typical features of an early form of medieval castle.

An officially authorised search by a private individual with a metal detector at the site in question finally revealed objects such as pottery shards and several iron objects, including medieval projectile points.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts