Alt-Süns Castle

The remains of a former castle lie on a small hill in the municipality of Paspels and can be reached from the village via a short, steep footpath. Not far from the Alt-Süns ruin, to the south, are the remains of Neu-Süns Castle or Canova.

Only minor remains of the strong curtain wall, which once surrounded the elongated castle area, are preserved. On the lower, rubble-covered plateau in the southwest, stables or outbuildings may have stood. At the highest point of the complex, in the northeast, stood the imposing massive residential tower with a square floor plan. The current state of preservation is unusual: two and a half sides still stand at their original height, the rest has been razed to the ground. This image can also be found, for example, in the neighboring Canova Castle and is a sign of violent destruction, where the entire building was rendered unusable by tearing down one side of the tower.

Traces of the former high entrance are visible at the demolition edge in the southwest. From the beam holes, three upper floors can be identified, which were separated by wooden floors. The living quarters were on the third and fourth floors. Each floor on the north side was equipped with a latrine, some of the oriels are still present. The lowest one has been bricked up later. The different types of walls are interesting: Rasa Pietra in the lower floors, with joint pointing further up, and rubble stones and pebbles at the very top. Traces of a wooden loggia on the uppermost floor are still recognizable.

The inside of the walls shows traces of the former plaster. A younger section of the curtain wall, built from large pebbles in herringbone bond, adjoins the west side of the tower.

No information is available about the origin of the castle; the visible walls are likely to have been built around 1200. The castle was probably founded by the powerful Barons of Vaz, in whose possession it is documented in 1285 as castrum Sunnes. After the death of the last Vaz, Donat von Vaz, in 1337, the castle passed to the Lords of Werdenberg-Sargans, was temporarily pledged by Ursula von Werdenberg, née Vaz, and her son Johann to the House of Matsch in 1365 (...burg und vesti die alte suns...) and returned to the Werdenbergers at the end of the century.

In 1542, Alt-Süns Castle, like many other castles, fell victim to the Schams Feud, the uprising of the valley people against the rule of the House of Werdenberg. The counts refrained from rebuilding, as permission from the Grey League and the League of God's House would have been required.