Waldenburg Castle (Ruin)

Around 1200, Waldenburg Castle was built by Count Hermann von Frohburg on his own land, which previously belonged to the Murbach monastery. The Frohburgers named a branch of their family after this fortress, which served to control the pass road and collect tolls. In the mid-13th century, Count Ludwig von Frohburg attempted to sell the castle to the Habsburgs and receive it back as a fief, but this failed. Consequently, he sold the castle and town in 1265 to the Bishop of Basel, who also returned them to him as a fief. The Basel earthquake of 1356 largely spared the complex. After the death of Count Johans von Frohburg in 1366, the Bishop of Basel reclaimed the fief and established an office, which was administered by a bailiff from Waldenburg Castle. Through repeated pledges, the castle eventually came into the possession of the city of Basel in 1400. A Basel bailiff took over the neglected fortress and had it restored. In 1444, an attack by the Solothurners on Waldenburg Castle failed. During the revolutionary turmoil of 1798, the castle was abandoned by the Basel bailiff and set on fire. Between 1929 and 1931, extensive excavation and renovation of the ruin took place, followed by further stabilization work in 2002.

The Waldenburg ruin is located in Waldenburg, in the district of Waldenburg in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland. It lies at approximately 694 meters above sea level.