Visconteo Castle

Geschichte

Visconteo Castle Castello Visconteo is a castle in Locarno, Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.In January 2004, the Italian historian Marino Vigano' speculated that it may have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci.HistoryWhile there was a royal palace in Locarno in 866 and a noble family with a castle in the 10th century, the oldest remaining parts of the Castello (part of the ring wall and residential tract and foundation of a tower) date to the late 12th or 13th century. In 1164 Emperor Frederick Barbarossa granted Locarno the right to hold a market and for the first time mentioned the Capitanei di Locarno or noble families that administered the town and the Pieve or local church. While the Capitanei enjoyed the right of imperial immediacy, they did not always support the emperor. By around 1240 Locarno had become a stronghold of the Guelph faction which supported the pope against the emperor, possibly leading to the construction or expansion of the castle. In 1260 the Castello was attacked and destroyed by the pro-emperor Ghilbellines, leading Simon di Orelli, the most powerful member of the Capitanei to join the Ghilbellines and bring the town to the emperor's side until his death in 1290. The castle was rebuilt following the destruction of 1260.