letzi
{{Short description|Type of defensive barrier}}
{{Italic title}}
File:Il fascino di Castelgrande.JPG
A Letzi (plural: Letzinen, also known in German as a Talsperre in the sense of a fortification, not a dam{{cite web|title=Letzi - Grammatik |publisher=Duden |url=http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Letzi#block_5 |access-date=18 July 2012 |language=de }}) or Letzimauer refers to defensive barriers whose purpose is to protect the entrance into a valley. The term is Swiss, and such stone barriers were particularly common in medieval Switzerland but were also built in Austria and Germany.
Location
Letzis usually consisted of:
- hill castles on the valley sides or on heights either side of the valley
- defensive walls, often in combination with other bastions, running transversely across the valley in order to seal it completely. Because these parts of the position were typically unable to use the advantage of height, they had some of the character of lowland castles.
Because they had a combination of elements of hill and lowland castles, letzis did not fall neatly into either category.
The walls were often several kilometres long, for example in Rothenthurm SZ, and were often combined with ditches.{{citation|surname1=Jakob Obrecht|editor-surname1=Historischer Verein des Kantons Schwyz|periodical=Mitteilungen des Historischen Vereins des Kantons Schwyz|title=Archäologische Sondiergrabungen an der Letzimauer Rothenthurm, 1999|volume=Band 92 |pages=11–32|date=2000|language=de
}}{{cite web|title=Der Letzigraben|periodical=Gang dur Alt-Züri|url=http://www.gebrueder-duerst.ch/turicum/strassen/l/letzigraben/letzigraben.html|access-date=2012-07-16|last=Matthias Dürst|language=de}}
Such defensive valley barriers were still being built in the 19th century, for example the Forte della Chiusa and Buco di Vela.
Purpose
Researchers have not been united in all respects about whether these fortifications actually served as protective lines of defence or whether, in most cases, they were just intended as border marcations and defence against cattle thieves.{{citation|surname1=Martin Merki|periodical=Neue Zürcher Zeitung|title=Eine chinesische Mauer in Schwyz?|issue=162|page=13|date= 14 July 2012|language=de|url=http://www.nzz.ch/aktuell/schweiz/eine-chinesische-mauer-in-schwyz-1.17353318 }}
What is certain is the Letzis were used to force merchants to adhere to specified routes (Straßenzwang) and thus to enable the collection of customs duties (Wegzoll) and money to pay for the maintenance of the roads.{{citation|author1=Thomas Kühtreiber|editor1=Kornelia Holzner-Tobisch |editor2=Thomas Kühtreiber |editor3=Gertrud Blaschitz|periodical=Die Vielschichtigkeit der Straße. Kontinuität und Wandel in Mittelalter und früher Neuzeit|title=Straße und Burg. Anmerkungen zu einem vielschichtigen Verhältnis|series=Veröffentlichungen des Instituts für Realienkunde des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit|volume=22|publication-place=Wien|pages=263–301 |date=2012 |language=de |url=https://www.academia.edu/1496344/Strasse_und_Burg._Anmerkungen_zu_einem_vielschichtigen_Verhaltnis._In_Kornelia_Holzner-Tobisch_Thomas_Kuhtreiber_Gertrud_Blaschitz_Hg._Die_Vielschichtigkeit_der_Strasse._Kontinuitat_und_Wandel_in_Mittelalter_und_fruher_Neuzeit_Veroffentlichungen_des_Instituts_fur_Realienkunde_des_Mittelalters_und_der_fruhen_Neuzeit_22_Wien_2012_263-301}}
Examples with hill castles
- Castles of Bellinzona, Ticino
- Castelmur Castle, Grisons
- Ehrenberg Castle, Tyrol
- Fernstein Castle, Tyrol
- Fracstein Castle, Grisons
- Klamm Castle (Lower Austria) above Schottwien
- Mauterndorf Castle, Salzburg
- Schlossberg Castle (Seefeld in Tirol)
- Castle ruins in the Mühlbacher Klause, South Tyrol
- Hohenwerfen Fortress, Salzburg
- Fortini della Fame, Ticino
- Karlsfried, Saxony
- La Serra, Zernez, Grisons
- Letzi and ruins of Mülenen Castle, Berne
- Serravalle, Ticino
- Schloß-Nauses Castle, Hesse
Castelmur Talsperre.jpg|Castle and letzi of Castelmur
Mühlbacher Klause 1.jpg|The castle ruins in the Mühlbacher Klause, which guards the western Pustertal
Letzi Mülenen1.JPG|Letzi of Mülenen Castle
Trento-Forte_Bus_de_Vela-northwest.jpg|Buco di Vela
Free-standing examples
- Hadnmauer (a letzi near Rattendorf in the Gailtal valley, which presumably guarded Gurina){{cite web|title=Marienpilgerweg|periodical=Marienpilgerweg.at|url=http://www.marienpilgerweg.at/etappen/etappe09.htm|access-date=2016-10-19|language=de}}{{cite web|title=Jenig|periodical=Jenig.at|url=http://www.jenig.at/contents/jenig.html|access-date=2016-10-19|language=de}}
- Landmauer Gamsen, Wallis{{Cite web |url=http://www.landmauer.ch/ |title=Landmauer Gamsen |access-date=2020-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607185758/http://landmauer.ch/ |archive-date=2013-06-07 |url-status=dead}}
- Letzis of Arth and Oberarth, Schwyz
- Letzimauer in Näfels, Glarus
- Letzimauer in Rothenthurm, Schwyz
- Letzi Tower, Basel
- Letzi Tower in Morgarten, Schwyz
- Porta Claudia, Tyrol
- Türkenschanze, Carinthia
- Hardturm, Zürich
Näfels Letzimauer.JPG|Letzimauer at Näfels
Oberarth_Letzi_11.JPG|Letzimauer at Oberarth
Picswiss SZ-20-04.jpg|Letzi Tower in Morgarten
PortaClaudiaPano2.jpg|Porta Claudia
Name
The Swiss German word, Letzi, comes from the Middle High German "letze", i. e. a barrier, obstacle, defensive wall or border fortification.Weiteres siehe Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Vol. III, Col. 1558 f., Article [http://www.idiotikon.ch/Register/faksimile.php?band=3&spalte=1558 Letzi, Bed. 1a] (with remarks, col. 1562). Even today many toponyms include the words Letzinen, Letzimauern or Letzitürme. Remains of such defensive fortifications may still be seen in many places today.
Examples of Letzi in place names:
- Letzigasse in Zofingen
- Letzigraben and Letzistrasse in Zürich
- Letzigrund Stadium in Zürich
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Letzi}}
- {{HLS|8620|Letzi|author=Martin Illi}}
- Neue Zürcher Zeitung (14 July 2012): [http://www.nzz.ch/aktuell/schweiz/eine-chinesische-mauer-in-schwyz-1.17353318 Eine chinesische Mauer in Schwyz?]
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