Gilgenberg Castle

Around 1300, the Lords of Brislach, who later called themselves “von Ramstein” after their ancestral castle, built Gilgenberg Castle over an older complex from the 12th century. The name Gilgenberg derives from the Ramstein coat of arms, which from 1265 showed two crossed lily staffs (Gilgen). The castle served as an administrative center for the expanded Ramstein territories. After the Basel earthquake of 1356, Gilgenberg, whose damage is not precisely documented, was converted into an episcopal fief. In 1459, after the death of Rudolf von Ramstein, inheritance disputes arose. Eventually, the castle passed to Rudolf's illegitimate son Hans Bernhard von Gilgenberg, who placed it under the protection of Solothurn. In 1527, Hans Imer von Gilgenberg sold the castle to the city of Solothurn, which established a bailiwick there. During the turmoil of the Helvetic Revolution in 1798, the castle was set on fire by angry rural inhabitants and used as a quarry.

The Gilgenberg castle ruin is located in Zullwil in the Lebern district, canton of Solothurn, Switzerland, at an elevation of approximately 709 m above sea level.

The Gilgenberg castle ruin is accessible to visitors. The masonry of the palas was last secured in 1982.

• Ramstein Ruin (castle), approx. 3.6 km away
• Neu-Thierstein Ruin (Büsserach) (castle), approx. 5.2 km away
• Rifenstein Ruin (castle), approx. 7.4 km away
• Pfeffingen Castle (castle), approx. 7.8 km away