The area around Aesch and Pfeffingen was originally home to a Franconian royal court.

In 1212 a family of Schaffner von Pfeffingen, who lived in the castle, was mentioned for the first time.

In 1520, the Mayor of Basel Jakob Meyer zum Hasen raided the castle with about two hundred men.

During the Thirty Years′ War in 1637 the castle was occupied by Swedish troops under Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar and, eleven years later, was left (in very poor condition) to the bishop.

As the largest and most seriously damaged part of the ruins, the residential tower was to be reconstructed first, with a particular focus on sealing the coping and structurally securing unstable sections.