Splügen Castle

Geschichte

The ruins of the former Splügen Castle lie east of the village of Splügen in the Rheinwald forest in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is the only castle in the valley.LocationThe ruins lie just under one kilometre east of the village on a small hill below the former valley road that ran from the Via Mala over the Splügen and San Bernardino Passes. It is an easy ten-minute walk from the village along a lane. It is not possible to drive to the castle.DescriptionThe ruins of a fortified, double-winged palas and an enceinte (Bering) are visible on the northern side by the old road. Three of the walls, which are well over a metre thick, have survived; the east wall facing the valley has collapsed. The quoins have a clear border (Kantenschlag). One additional wall divides the site into an eastern and western half.The elevated entrance with its Gothic archway, with jambs made of tuff, lies at about four metres above the ground on the northern side and leads to the first floor. Putlog holes on the exterior show where the staircase access was. The doors turned in a carefully hewn out stone ring and could be locked with a bar.