Swabian Castle (Castello Normanno-Svevo)

Swabian Castle

 

Location: Bari Map

Constructed: 1132 by Norman king Roger II

 

History of Swabian Castle

Swabian Castle is located in Bari region of Italy. It was constructed in the 13th century. Over subsequent centuries Swabian Castle kept its military significance. It was modernized and increased several times. Swabian fortress construction started in 1132 by orders of Norman king Roger II. Its defensive fortifications were later expanded by the Holy Roman emperor Frederick II  Hohenstaufen (aka Antichrist) between 1233 and 1240. Swabian Castle saw many reconstructions and improvements to face new challenges of military technology including withstanding cannon fire. But you can see older medieval portions in the basement of the fortress. Today the castle is open to the public. Swabian Castle houses headquarters of the Superintendency for Environmental, Architectural and Historic Heritage in Puglia as well as Gallery of Plaster Casts.

 

Description

Finds dating back to the Roman-Greek era have led experts to trace the existence of the Bari fortress back to ancient times. On the other hand, in the Satires (I, 5, 96-97) of Horace and in the Annals (XVI, 2, 7-9) of Tacitus, there is mention of the existence, in the ancient Barium, of a fortified place whose location could coincide with a part of the current castle or, much more probably, with the Byzantine kastròn (Corte del Catapano-Basilica di S. Nicola).

The medieval fortification probably dates back to 1132. The building, commissioned by the Norman king Roger II, was destroyed in 1156 by the Baresi themselves (who had induced King William the Malo to raze the entire city to the ground with the exception of some places of worship ) and rebuilt as early as 1233, when Emperor Frederick II ordered its rebuilding and strengthening. Underwent numerous transformations in the Angevin era and became the property of Ferdinand of Aragon, it was then donated by him to the ducal family of the Sforza. The latter ordered the expansion and refinement of the fortress which soon passed into the hands of his daughter Bona, Queen of Poland, who died there in 1557.

Later the building, returned under the kings of Naples, was used as a prison and barracks.

Today the castle is surrounded by the ancient moat, which runs along three sides, with the exception of the northern strip, once bathed by the sea; beyond the moat there is the defense wall, from the Aragonese period, equipped with large angular spear bastions. The castle is accessed from the south side, crossing the bridge over the moat and entering the courtyard between the sixteenth-century bulwarks and the Swabian keep.

On 3 October 2017 it reopens with structured rooms and new exhibits on display.