Splügen Castle

Splügen Castle is a ruined medieval fortress in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, set in the Rheinwald forest about a kilometre east of the village of Splügen. It is the only castle in the whole valley, and the walk up from the village takes roughly ten minutes.

Where is Splügen Castle?

The ruins stand on a small hill in the eastern part of the Rheinwald valley, surrounded by woodland. The position was chosen with purpose: below it ran the old valley road that led from the Via Mala gorge over the Splügen and San Bernardino passes. From the hill, the castle's occupants could watch traffic on one of the important Alpine trade routes between north and south.

When was the castle built?

Sources disagree. Some list the castle as built around 1275. More recent research, cited by Komoot, points to about 1340 and the Counts of Werdenberg-Sargans as its builders. The gap shows how thin the documentary record for this site is.

What remains of the castle?

The remains include a double-winged palas and a curtain wall. Three walls, each well over a metre thick, still stand, while the east wall facing the valley has collapsed. The layout can still be read: the lower storeys held cellars and storerooms, and the third floor contained the living quarters.

What do we know about its history?

Written records are sparse. In 1462, Jörg of Werdenberg paid the Amman (steward) of Rheinwald a rent for the estate by the castle, and the entry referred to the old castle of Splügen. Whether the building still stood at that point is unknown. When the Rheinwald was sold in 1493 to Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, the castle of Splügen was no longer mentioned.

The castle that helped save a valley

In the 1940s a dam was planned right at the castle ruins, 700 metres long and 150 metres high. The reservoir would have flooded part of the Rheinwald. The valley's residents successfully resisted the project, and the ruins and the landscape around them survived.

How to visit

The approach from Splügen village takes about ten minutes on foot. The ruins can be explored freely; this is a short outing rather than a full-day visit. It combines well with other routes in the Rheinwald, such as the Römerweg Rheinwald or the valley hike from Sufers to Hinterrhein.

Frequently asked questions

Is Splügen Castle the only castle in the Rheinwald valley? Yes, it is the only castle in this valley.

How long does it take to reach the ruins? About ten minutes on foot from the village of Splügen.

Who built the castle? According to more recent research, the Counts of Werdenberg-Sargans built it around 1340. Older sources give around 1275.

What is left of the building? Parts of a double-winged palas and a curtain wall. Three walls survive; the east wall has collapsed.

Why was the valley never flooded? A dam project from the 1940s was opposed by local residents and never went ahead.

Where exactly is the castle? In the eastern part of the Rheinwald valley, in the forest, below the old road that ran from the Via Mala over the Splügen and San Bernardino passes.