Heinzenberg Castle (Ruin)

The ruins of the former Heinzenberg Castle are located on a rocky hill below the village of Präz in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.

On the mountain side, the hill is protected by a natural incision; on the southeast side, a ditch was artificially created.

Of the impressive castle complex, only wall remains have been preserved in the western part. A wall tooth of a pentagonal tower still stands up to the third floor. Inside, remains of smooth plaster are visible on the second floor; beam holes indicate the position of the floors. The red inscriptions that Clavadetscher/Meyer still saw are no longer recognizable today. In 1930, Erwin Poeschel still saw a door to a balcony on the third floor of the west wall, a door to an arbor on the fifth floor, and a window niche in the south wall of the fifth floor. The sixth floor was topped with battlements; above it, Poeschel assumed a tent roof. In 1956, the tower collapsed to its present remains; a large fallen piece of wall lies at the foot of the hill.

To the west, a curtain wall connected to the tower up to the fifth floor; wall joints indicate that it was built in several stages. Of the buildings leaning against the inner bailey, only wall remains are preserved; the lower parts are heavily overgrown.

To the west, walls of an outbuilding have been preserved. The beam holes visible on the north side indicate further buildings, but the architectural context is no longer recognizable. To the west, on a lower terrace, lay a wide outer bailey. The remains of the bailey mentioned by Poeschel and Clavadetscher/Meyer are barely recognizable.

Written documents about the construction of the castle are missing. It is conceivable that the name Heinzenberg passed to the castle as a field name and later to the entire valley side. In 1384, "am berg ze Haintzemberg" is mentioned for the first time.

Heinzenberg belonged to the dominion of the Barons of Vaz, who held jurisdiction here; presumably, the castle was built by them around the year 1200. Through Ursula von Vaz, the castle passed as an inheritance to the Werdenberg-Sargans family in 1337. In 1383, Johann von Werdenberg sold his rights to Heinzenberg to his brother-in-law Ulrich Brun von Rhäzüns. Even if the castle is not explicitly named, it was in the hands of the Rhäzünsers in 1394, as according to a rent roll, rents "die gen Haintzenberg in die vesti sint komen" had to be paid.

In an inheritance dispute, Ursula von Hohenheim, née Rhäzüns, received "Anleite" (the right) to the dominion and estates of the outlawed Georg von Rhäzüns in 1450. In the Schams Feud, the castle was captured in 1451, but unlike many others, not destroyed. Through Anna von Rhäzüns, the castle passed in 1461 to her husband Georg von Werdenberg-Sargans, who henceforth called himself Lord of Ortenstein and Heinzenberg. In 1475, he sold his estates at Heinzenberg to Bishop Ortlieb, but retained "das slos und burgstal am Haintzenberg". In 1482, Heinrich Grass was the Werdenberg bailiff "uff dem schloss Heintzenberg". In 1523, the castle passed to Ludwig Tschudi von Glarus. It was abandoned during the 16th century.