{{Short description|Castle in Zweisimmen Bern, Switzerland}} {{Infobox military installation |name = Oberer Mannenberg Castle |native_name = Burgruine Oberer Mannenberg |partof = |location = Zweisimmen |image = Oberer Mannenberg - 1.jpg |image_size = 300px |caption = Ruins of Oberer Mannenberg Castle |map_type = Switzerland |map_size = |map_alt = |map_caption = |coordinates = {{coord|46.5717|7.3820|type:landmark_region:CH|display=inline,title}} |type = |battles = Destroyed in Bernese attack, 1350 |built = |builder = |materials = stone |height = |ownership = Burg Mannenberg foundation |open_to_public = yes }}
'''Oberer Mannenberg Castle''' ({{langx|de|Oberer Mannenberg}}) is a ruined [[castle]] in the [[Zweisimmen|municipality of Zweisimmen]] of the [[canton of Bern]] in [[Switzerland]]. It is a Swiss [[Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance|heritage site of national significance]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch/internet/bs/de/home/themen/kgs/kgs_inventar/a-objekte.html|title=Kantonsliste A-Objekte|year=2009|work=KGS Inventar|publisher=Federal Office of Civil Protection|language=de|access-date=25 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628110559/http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch/internet/bs/de/home/themen/kgs/kgs_inventar/a-objekte.html|archive-date=28 June 2010}}</ref>
==History== Nothing is known about the original builder of the castle, but in 1190 the Herren von Siebenthal may have lived in Mannenberg. In 1270 the castle ''Mamerberg'' was owned by the knight Peter von Raron. Under the von Raron family the estate was divided into the Mannenberg Castle and the [[Herrschaft (territory)|Herrschaft]] of Mannenberg-Reichenstein. The castle is first mentioned in 1304 as ''castrum de Mannenberg''<ref name=HDS>{{HDS|8448|Mannenberg}}</ref> and around that time Peter von Raron sold it to Heinrich IV von Strättlingen.<ref name=Burgenweg>[http://www.burgenweg.ch/index.php/burg-mannenberg Burgenweg.ch] {{in lang|de}} accessed 11 March 2014</ref> The castle was sold to the [[Count]]s of [[Gruyères]] in 1336 while the estate passed to the heirs of the von Raron family following their extinction. In 1456 the Freiherr von Bubenberg acquired the Herrschaft and in 1494 sold it to the city of [[Bern]].
The castle was held by the Counts who attempted to expand their power in the Simmental ([[Simme]] valley). At some point, probably in the 14th century, they built Unterer Mannenberg Castle as an expansion of the Oberer castle.<ref name=Burgenweg/> In 1339 the Counts of Gruyères supported the city of [[Fribourg]] against Bern in the [[Battle of Laupen]]. The Bernese victory and their expanding power in the Simmental created tension between the Counts and the surrounding farmers. In 1350 Bernese troops attacked and partially destroyed Oberer Mannenberg Castle.<ref name=Burgenseite>[http://www.burgenseite.ch/ruine_mannenberg_obere.htm Burgen Seite.ch] {{in lang|de}} accessed 11 March 2014</ref> It was apparently rebuilt, because in 1356 the Counts of Gruyères sold the castles to the Fribourg supporting Düdingen family. The Düdingens already held nearby [[Blankenburg Castle (Bern)|Blankenburg Castle]], so Mannenberg reinforced their power in the area. However, their hold was short lived. In 1376 the villagers of the surrounding communities rose up against the Fribourg nobility, forcing the Düdingens to sell Mannenberg and Blankenburg to the city of Fribourg.<ref name=HDS/>
Tensions continued to rise between Bern and Fribourg leading to the [[Battle of Sempach]] in 1386. Following the Bernese victory in the Battle, Fribourg lost their holdings in the Simmental. Bern combined the Herrschaft of Mannenberg-Reichenstein with the castles and appointed a [[vogt]] to oversee the lands. The vogt settled in Blankenburg Castle and made it into the center of government. Both Mannenberg castles were allowed to fall into ruin.
During the 20th century several archeological expeditions explored portions of the ruins, but they remained generally covered in brush. In 2007 the Burg Mannerberg Foundation was established to restore and maintain the ruins. The project was initially projected to cost about 770,000 [[Swiss franc|CHF]] with the Swiss Federal government and the Canton of Bern providing the majority of the funds, while the Foundation provided about 194,000 CHF.<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.zweisimmen.ch/files_upl/burg_mannenberg_pressetext.pdf | title=Presse ‐Konferenz vom 25.08.200 | publisher=Stiftung Burg Mannenberg | access-date=March 11, 2014 | archive-date=March 11, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311163329/http://www.zweisimmen.ch/files_upl/burg_mannenberg_pressetext.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> The project was completed in 2011 at a total cost of about 880,000 CHF. Today several walls and parts of a round tower are free of the earth and stand in a clearing. The ruins of the castle are topped with a sight-seeing platform.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.derbund.ch/bern/Ursprung-der-MannenbergRuine-bleibt-raetselhaft/story/15940054 | title=Ursprung der Mannenberg-Ruine bleibt rätselhaft | work=Der Bund | date=23 June 2011 | access-date=March 11, 2014 | author=Zimmermann, Martin}}</ref>
==See also== * [[List of castles in Switzerland]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|Oberer Mannenberg}}
{{Castles of Bern}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mannenberg Castle, Oberer}} [[Category:Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern]] [[Category:Castles in the canton of Bern]]