Friedberg, medieval castle ruins

Friedberg Castle ruins stand above the town of Meilen on the northern shore of Lake Zurich, in the canton of Zurich. Founded around 1200 on a hillside, the castle ranks as the biggest of the modest fortresses along this stretch of the lakeshore.

What is Friedberg Castle?

The site sits in a small hollow at roughly 540 m above sea level, on the east side of the gorge cut by the village stream, the Meilemer Tobel. Ground falls steeply into the gorge to the west and south, so the builders concentrated their defences on the north, where they hewed a ditch out of the sandstone.

Who owned it?

In the 13th century the Regensberg family administered large parts of the lake's right bank. In 1306 Lütold VII von Regensberg called Friedberg "our castle". The Regensbergs later sold it to Götz Mülner, a wealthy Zurich knight who styled himself "Mülner von Friedberg" by 1321. Finds from the early 14th century suggest the new owners extended the complex.

Around 1390 a Zurich citizen, Jakob Bletscher, bought the castle. Nobody knows whether he lived here. Slow decay set in from about that time, and no siege or fire is recorded. The grounds and a neighbouring farm have been privately owned since 1593. In the early 1900s the castle area and ditches were levelled for farming, which left only a few wall remnants on the slope side.

What can you see today?

• The exposed northern ditch, about 10 m wide and 4 m deep, with almost vertical sandstone walls.
• Foundations of the ring wall on the lake side, though its full line is uncertain.
• A well 28.64 m deep, found in 1976 choked with rubble, cleared by hand and given a rebuilt stone rim.
• Bits of masonry along the edge of the slope.

Excavations between 1976 and 1979 produced stove tiles, pottery, arrowheads, fittings, wooden tableware, leather scraps and two small copper ladles. The star find is a curved wooden horn about 60 cm long from the first half of the 14th century, regarded as one of the oldest wind instruments in Switzerland.

How do you get there?

Take the S7 train from Zurich to Meilen. From town, a path through the Tobel gorge reaches the ruins in about 25 minutes. Entry is free. Choose a dry day, since the route runs through woodland.

When should you go?

The ruins make an easy short walk in any season, with late spring and early autumn the most pleasant. Combine the visit with a stroll through Meilen and along the lake.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a ticket for Friedberg? No, entry is free.

How long is the walk from Meilen? About 25 minutes along the path through the Tobel gorge.

How old is the castle? It dates from around 1200, and decline set in after about 1390.

What is the most interesting excavation find? A wooden horn from the early 14th century, among the oldest wind instruments found in Switzerland.