Burgau, Medieval Castle Site

Burgau, Medieval Castle Site is an archaeological site in the hamlet of Burgau, part of the municipality of Flawil in the canton of St. Gallen, eastern Switzerland. The fortress itself is not a ruin you can tour in the usual sense, but the place is rewarding for anyone curious about the region's medieval past.

What is this place?

The canton of St. Gallen's inventory of archaeological sites lists a castle at Burgau, first mentioned around the end of the 10th century. It was destroyed in 1403. The canton treats castles and castle sites as worth protecting because they document medieval social, political and economic history.

Who held it?

According to the inventory, Burgau may have been the original seat of the Giel family. In the 15th century the court of Flawil was a fief of the Giel von Glattburg family, and in 1486 the Abbey of St. Gallen bought it back. The castle therefore belongs to a chain of power shifts in an area where the abbey played a leading role.

How old is the settlement?

The hamlet of Burgau is documented from 964 under the name Purchouva. The name points to the word "Burg", a fortified place, which fits the site's history.

What else is worth knowing about Burgau?

• Burgau formed its own court, together with Mülleregg.
• A medieval law book survives, the Burgau Offnung of 1469. It governed relations among members of the courts and communal landholdings in the lower court of Burgau, under the lord's reeve.
• The hamlet has an old town hall dating from 1639, considered one of the oldest half-timbered houses in the canton.

Who is it for?

History and archaeology fans who like to combine local traces of the Middle Ages with a short walk through a village. Do not expect tourist facilities or dramatic walls. The site lies at 47.3999625 N, 9.2168914 E, and Flawil is not far from the city of St. Gallen.

Frequently asked questions

Do any castle walls survive at Burgau? The available sources do not describe visible remains; the site is classified as a castle site.

When was the castle destroyed? In 1403.

When was it first mentioned? Around the end of the 10th century.

Is there anything else worth seeing nearby? Yes, the old town hall of 1639, a historic half-timbered building in Burgau itself.

Which canton is Burgau in? St. Gallen, in the municipality of Flawil.