Mario Bürki

The enchanted castle

Like Schwellisee, Schwarzsee and Urdensee, Hauensee is also the scene of an old legend, which can be read here in a wooden legend box. Once upon a time, a nobleman rode through the Urdental valley and up to the ridge at Hörnli. After a short rest, he followed the ridge and soon came to a small lake in the middle of the rock. I would like to build a castle here, he thought to himself. As he was a rich, powerful man, he was soon able to make his wish come true. Foreign workers came and built a proud castle with battlements and terraces. One day he fetched his wife. She was a fine and quiet lady who was often seen walking in a white dress with a dog. Years passed and the castle lay lonely and deserted. The owner and his wife had died. Then one day the two sons - young knights - appeared and brought guests with them. Like a thunderstorm, the high-spirited group came down the mountain and through the middle of the meadows. They became the terror of the whole area. An old farmer lived in Ifang with his granddaughter, a beautiful girl with eyes as blue as Lake Schwelli. When the Junkers rode past the house, the farmer locked the door and pulled the girl away from the window. One day there was a big storm coming. I have to get the cattle, he thought. So he left the hut. But the girl took a bucket to fetch water from the nearby well. Suddenly, frightened, she turned around, dropped the bucket and tried to get to the house. The two squires rode past close to the well. They looked at the beautiful girl in amazement. Come with me, they shouted and jumped off their horses. One of them stepped into her path, the other lifted her into the saddle and off they went over hill and dale. In the meantime, the farmer arrived with his animals. He heard the girl's cries for help. Powerless, he stood there and clenched his fist. "Woe to you naughty boys. The lightning shall destroy your castle so that not one stone will be left upon another before you reach it". Startled, they looked back, but the old man had disappeared. The horses panted uphill, lightning followed lightning, thunder rolled wildly along the mountain, it cracked and roared. Hail poured down, the smallest stream became a raging torrent. When the sun shone again the next day, the castle had disappeared. A large pile of stones marked the spot where it had stood. There was no sign of the young men and the beautiful girl. They lay buried deep under the stones. From then on, the tangle of stones on Lake Hauensee was called the "Enchanted Castle".