---
title: Castelgrande in Bellinzona, Switzerland
author: James Blake Wiener
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9890/castelgrande-in-bellinzona-switzerland/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---

# Castelgrande in Bellinzona, Switzerland

_Authored by [James Blake Wiener](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jbw288/)_

## Image File

[![Castelgrande in Bellinzona, Switzerland](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/9890.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/9890.jpg)

## Image Caption

This is the Castelgrande in Bellinzona, Switzerland. The [castles of Bellinzona](https://www.worldhistory.org/Castles_of_Bellinzona/) are a set of three medieval fortifications located in and surrounding the [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) of Bellinzona, which is located in Canton Ticino, Switzerland. These castles are the only remaining examples in the Alpine region of heavy military [architecture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/architecture/), which date from the late Middle Ages. the three castles were of special importance to the Duchy of Milan, which was ruled by the Visconti (1277-1447 CE) and Sforza dynasties (1450-1535 CE), in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance until they were taken by the Swiss in 1500 CE. Surviving a massive flood in 1515 CE, the castles became the property of Canton Ticino in 1803 CE. UNESCO declared the three castles - Castelgrande, Montebello, and Sasso Corbaro - and their respective defensive walls as a single World Heritage Site in 2000 CE.

#### Editorial Review

This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).

## About the Author

James Blake Wiener has a particular interest in cross-cultural exchange and world history. He is a co-founder of World History Encyclopedia and formerly was its Communications Director.
- [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswiener)

## Cite This Work

### APA
Wiener, J. B. (2019, January 23). Castelgrande in Bellinzona, Switzerland. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9890/castelgrande-in-bellinzona-switzerland/>
### Chicago
Wiener, James Blake. "Castelgrande in Bellinzona, Switzerland." *World History Encyclopedia*, January 23, 2019. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9890/castelgrande-in-bellinzona-switzerland/>.
### MLA
Wiener, James Blake. "Castelgrande in Bellinzona, Switzerland." *World History Encyclopedia*, 23 Jan 2019, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9890/castelgrande-in-bellinzona-switzerland/>.

## License & Copyright

Submitted by [James Blake Wiener](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jbw288/ "User Page: James Blake Wiener"), published on 23 January 2019. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.