Construction in Medieval Times, and also in my novel

Everyone who has been reading my blog knows that my novel is set during the medieval period. I think it is time now to reveal that it is also set in Switzerland, or as it is called in the novel, Helvetia. Helvetia is the female personification or embodiment of Switzerland.


There are many unique and awe-inspiring buildings and other types of construction in Switzerland. Some of what I describe in my novel was built during the medieval times, and they still remain today.

Here are some of the buildings I described in my novel. Some are real, some, I made up. I hope you will research, which is which and also discover more about medieval architecture.

Many of the buildings I describe in my novel are based on true structures. I tried to describe as closely as possible these structures, many of which are still present today. Others, I had to take a poetic license and create them. In this instance I did this to enhance the story line, as the way these building were constructed has an important part later in the novel.

I created the main castle in my novel. I took several aspects of different castles and fortifications and combined them into this castle. Although created, I still followed the architecture of the medieval period.

One of my favorite structures in my novel is the Teufelsbrücke, or Devils Bridge. This is a bridge over the Schöllenen Gorge in the Switzerland. More than the way the bridge is constructed is the legend of how it was constructed.

The myth of the bridge is that the devil agreed to build it. His cost for the construction of the bridge was he would get the soul of the first person to traverse the bridge. A local farmer tricked the devil by sending over a goat over the bridge. In a rage, the devil picked up a huge stone to destroy the bridge, but an old woman carved the image of the cross in the stone. The devil dropped the stone and fled.

Another favorite structure is the wooden covered bridge near the city of Lucerne. This is a bridge which runs over the Reuss River. Inside on the ceiling of the bridge hang triangular-shaped panels. These panels, in reality, depict specific historical scenes. Since, my novel is a time alternate reality; the panels in my novel depict famous battles in the area against evil monsters.

Slight changes I mentioned above help provide the knowledge that the world I created is not a direct reflection of our world, but a skewed version of it. These slight variations are throughout my novel, and I hope readers will take the time to research each location and structure and figure out, which is real, and which is fantasy.

As always, leave a comment if you have any questions or statements you want to make.

NEXT TIME: SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE AUTHOR