Goldenberg Castle (Dorf)

Goldenberg Castle is first mentioned in documents in 1248 as the seat of the Lords of Goldenberg, a "Kyburg ministerial family". In the mid-15th century, the knightly family of Gachnang took over the estate. It is said that after a fire, "only the high-walled tower remained". In 1577, the property passed to the Zurich councilor family Holzhalb from Zurich. 60 years later, the castle was in the hands of Colonel Kaspar Schmid from Zurich. His grandson, Junker Kaspar Schmid, imperial Generalfeldwachtmeister, "had the castle beautifully restored". A descendant sold it in 1765 with the condition of lifelong right of residence to Abraham Brunner, a dyer from Winterthur. Brunner tried to remove him and was consequently expelled from the Zurich territory. In 1773, Georg Ulrich Biedermann followed, who expanded the agricultural estate. In 1823, the wealthy Englishman Jakob van Matter acquired the castle, who was considered a generous donor. After his death in 1836, it stood empty for a while. After the sale in 1878, it frequently changed owners and was even a sanatorium for a short time. On May 5, 1893, Arnold Vogel zum Rechberg in Zurich acquired Goldenberg Castle. It is still in the hands of his descendants, the Kindhauser-Vogel family, today.