Wartau Castle (Ruin)

Wartau Castle was built around 1225, presumably by the Barons of Wildenberg. In 1320, the castle passed to Count Hugo III of Werdenberg-Heiligenberg. Its first written mention dates from 1342, when Johannes von Belmont pledged the fortress to his wife Adelheid von Klingen. This led to the Belmont Feud of 1352, a conflict between the Belmonts and the Werdenberg-Heiligenbergs. After changing ownership and further disputes, including a war between the Werdenberg-Heiligenbergs and the Werdenberg-Sargans around 1393, the castle was conquered by the Sargans in 1394 or 1395. Around 1400, the castle was raised by one storey. In 1402, the Werdenbergers pledged the complex to the Austrians, and in 1414, Count Rudolf II of Werdenberg-Heiligenberg sold the castle to Count Friedrich VII of Toggenburg. After his death in 1429, it passed to Count Bernhard von Thierstein. In the run-up to the Old Zurich War, the castle was briefly occupied by the Sargans. Numerous changes of ownership followed, including the Schenk von Limburg, the Barons of Montfort-Tettnang, and the Barons of Sax-Misox. In 1485, Peter von Sax-Misox sold the lordship of Wartau to the city of Lucerne, which in 1493 resold it to the Barons of Kastelwart. In 1498, it passed to the Swabian Barons of Hewen, who sold it in 1517 to the Swiss canton of Glarus. With the purchase by Glarus, Wartau lost all significance and was abandoned around 1530. In 1818, the ruin was sold to private individuals and only in 1911 did it come into the possession of the municipality of Wartau through a donation. Restorations took place in 1932 and most recently in 1982.

The Wartau Ruin is located at approximately 638 m above sea level, east of the hamlet of Gretschins, in the municipality of Wartau in the Werdenberg district, Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

The ruin can be visited today and offers insights into its historical structure, including a tower house, the remains of a curtain wall, and architectural details such as fireplaces and niches.