Hospental Castle or Langobarden Tower is a ruined medieval castle in the municipality of Hospental in the canton of Uri in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.[1]
| Hospental Tower | |
|---|---|
| Hospental | |
 Tower with the Spitzberg in background (2011) | |
  Hospental Tower  Hospental Tower | |
| Coordinates | 46°37′07″N 8°34′00″E / 46.618691°N 8.566786°E |
| Type | Spur castle |
| Code | CH-UR |
| Height | 1,509 m above the sea |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Ruin, partially conserved |
| Site history | |
| Built | 13th century |
History
editThe tower, which was made of uncut stones, was erected in the 13th century for the Hospental family, originally serving as a watch tower[citation needed]. The castle most likely didn't serve as means to control the flow of inbound coming people (e.g. customs facility), but rather as a prison. From the 15th century the Hospental castle is no longer inhabited and gradually fell into a dilapidated state. In 1898 it got widely restored. The site is declared as a cultural heritage site of national importance.[2]
Description
editThe tower is built with a tall entrance on the first floor. Clearly visible to this day are the so called garderobe, the locations of the fireplaces, as well as artificially created ditch, which serves to protect from enemy approaches. The rain water that comes from the crenellated roof on the third floor was collected in a cistern.[2]
In popular culture
editThe castle was featured on the American travel competition series Jet Lag: The Game. In season 9, the castle served as the original hiding location of Adam Chase. Chase hid for 4 hours, 39 minutes and 12 seconds before being found[3], and would later go on to win the series[4]. In season 11, Sam Denby finished his final run here (as an allusion to the castle’s previous appearance on the show) after a string of fortunate train connections. He won the series at this location after being tagged by Chase and Ben Doyle less than an hour before the end of the game.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance". A-Objects. Federal Office for Cultural Protection (BABS). 1 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ^ a b Turm Hospental bei swisscastles.ch
- ^ Jet Lag: The Game (6 March 2024). [https://youtube.com/watch?v=E8UmTJVDnUI "We Played Hide and Seek Across Switzerland"]. Youtube.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Jet Lag: The Game (3 April 2024). [ https://youtube.com/watch?v=X13gVRwnKDA "We Played Hide and Seek Across Switzerland - Finale"]. Youtube.
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