Massive pillars support the vaulted roof of the lower chamber or inner stronghold within the Munot fortress at Schaffhausen, northern Switzerland, a revolutionary late-1500s circular stronghold able to fire in all directions from casemate gun emplacements. The cool inner chamber could also be used to store ammunition, food and water, or as a refuge in times of siege.
Schaffhausen, Schaffhausen canton, northern Switzerland: massive square pillars support the vaulted stone roof of the lower chamber or inner stronghold within the circular 16th century Munot fortress. The cool chamber is ringed by gun ports and casemate firing points and is partly lit by daylight from vertical shafts. It was designed as a formidable artillery platform, with cannon able to fire in all directions, and could also be used to store ammunition, food and water. In times of war, Schaffhausen citizens could use it as a refuge, entering via underground passages and barricading themselves in. The Munot, overlooking the Altstadt or old town, is Schaffhausen’s official emblem or symbol. It was constructed from 1564 to 1589 by the city’s master builder, Heinrich Schwarz. It replaced an earlier castle and was designed to strengthen Schaffhausen’s defences, but it only saw serious action once, when French troops fought with Austrians in 1799. The innovative design was a rare example of the transition from medieval castles to artillery fortresses. It is believed to have been based on proposals for circular fortifications by the influential German Renaissance artist, Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). Schaffhausen was a city state in the Middle Ages. In 1050, the Counts of Nellenburg founded a Benedictine monastery and the town grew around it. It was an imperial free city from about 1200 AD and in 1277, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf I gave it a charter of liberties. In 1330, Emperor Louis of Bavaria pledged Schaffhausen to the Hapsburgs, but their power waned and it eventually bought its independence. Schaffhausen became a full member of the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1501. It was badly damaged by Swedish and Bavarian troops during the Thirty Years’ War of the early 1600s and its ancient Rhine bridge was destroyed.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Schaffhausen, Schaffhausen canton, Switzerland
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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