Ruine "Zur Burg"

Welcome to Splügen Castle. Today, the remaining

Walls rather modest, you might think. Around 700 years ago, this

Burg but a place of power.

Imagine: On the path above the castle, muleteers move with their

Mules by. They transport wine, salt, fabrics and other goods

over the Alps. Because this is exactly where one of the most important trade routes led

Graubünden. However, the castle served less as a fortress than as a fortress

rather as a control and customs station. Anyone who wanted to cross the pass had to

inevitably past here.

For the people here in the valley, the castle must have been impressive,

because most people lived in simple wooden houses at that time. The

mighty stone walls on the rock, on the other hand, seemed like a symbol of

Wealth and domination. Do you see the well-preserved high entrance

Tuff on the mountain side? Look closely, the portal has a

pointed arch, is therefore made in the Gothic architectural style.

The holey, light tuff stone was used because moist tuff stone

can be easily sawn and hewn. After drying, it hardens and

is therefore particularly suitable for decoration and stonemasonry.

The two lower floors, which are only sparsely lit due to narrow notches

of the fortified house were probably used as cellar and storage rooms.

Above it were the kitchen and living area. The bedroom had

large seating windows and access to the toilet, i.e. the toilet, which

at that time protruded from the valley façade as a wooden oriel.

The complex was built 700 years ago. Just 150 years later, it was

probably destroyed again. Today, the ruins are a reminder of a time when

trade across the Alps determined life in the valley. By the way, the

castle of Splügen is one of the last castles that still exist in Graubünden

were built. While elsewhere new times were already dawning,

a medieval complex was once again built here in the middle of the Alps.