Habspurg im Schweitzerlandt. / Deren von Habspurg Wapen. / Albertus der erst Graffe von Habspurg.

Title

Habspurg im Schweitzerlandt. / Deren von Habspurg Wapen. / Albertus der erst Graffe von Habspurg.

The illustration shows Habsburg Castle in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland and a coat of arms featuring a red lion on a yellow background, with a double swan as the crest. Below is a portrait of Albertus, the first Count of Habsburg. The reverse side depicts the coats of arms of Baron von Wart and von Palm, Bishop of Basel, and an image of a murderer being punished.

ca. 1550

Artist

Münster (1489-1552)

Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) was a leading Renaissance cosmographer. His most famous work, the Cosmographia (1544), was a comprehensive description of the world with 24 maps, based on research dating back to 1528. Continuously revised, the 1550 edition already included many new maps. It was the first scientific yet accessible world description published in German, illustrated with numerous woodcuts by artists such as Hans Holbein the Younger. Between 1544 and 1650, the Cosmographia appeared in 46 editions (27 in German) and was translated into several languages. Münster’s work combined the knowledge of scholars, artists, and travelers and remained influential long after his death.

Historical Description

During the Hallstatt period (1st and 2nd centuries BC), a small settlement existed on the site of today's castle. From the second half of the 1st century AD, there was a Roman signal station on the Wülpelsberg. It was maintained by legionaries from the Vindonissa military camp four kilometers to the northeast (in today's municipality of Windisch). The signal station provided a visual link between the camp and the Bözberg Pass and was probably still in operation after the camp was closed in 101. At the end of the 3rd century, the Wülpelsberg served as a refuge for civilians. It was easy to defend and promised protection from the sporadic plundering raids of the Alamanni, which the few soldiers in late Roman times were unable to provide. The name of the castle is probably derived from the Old High German word hab or haw, which means “river crossing”.