Alt-Signau Castle

Alt-Signau
Ruine Alt-Signau
Bowil
The ruins of Alt-Signau, from the north-west
Alt-Signau
Coordinates	46°54′15″N 7°43′22″E
Type	hill castle
Code	CH-BE
Site information
Condition	Ruined walls
Site history
Built	about 1130
Garrison information
Occupants	Freiherren of Signau

Alt-Signau Castle (German: Ruine Alt-Signau) is a ruined castle in the municipality of Bowil in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

History

The castle was the ancestral home of the Barons of Signau. The family was first mentioned in 1130 when Werner von Signau appeared in a historical record. The castle was designed to protect and control the road between the Emmental and the Aare river. In the mid-14th century the castle was abandoned when the family moved to Neu-Signau Castle on a hill across the valley.

The ruin is relatively well preserved.

See also

• List of castles in Switzerland

References

• Burgenkarte der Schweiz - West: ISBN 978-3-302-09801-2, Bundesamt für Landestopografie swisstopo, 2007

External links

Media related to Ruine Alt-Signau at Wikimedia Commons

• Anne-Marie Dubler: Bowil in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• History of Signau from signau.ch