Greifenstein Castle (Thal)

The castle was built by the daughter of the St. Gallen reformer Joachim von Watt after his death in 1551. Joachim von Watt (also known as Vadianus), who was a prominent humanist and rector of the University of Vienna, and after returning to St. Gallen, a city physician, mayor, and reformer, gave his daughter the extensive property on Buchberg - consisting of meadows, forest, and vineyards - as a morning gift on the occasion of her marriage to the wealthy merchant Leonhard Zollikofer von Altenklingen. The von Watts bore a black griffin on a silver field in their coat of arms. Dorothea therefore proudly named her castle "Greifenstein".

In 1665, ownership transferred to Podesta Rudolf von Salis (Soglio von Chur). Junker Rudolf undertook various structural changes - it is believed that the octagonal onion dome was added to the cross-ridge at that time. Inside, the three-story manor house received its baroque character furnishings, which still appear elegant and comfortable today.
In 1865, the Grisons family sold Greifenstein - it passed into bourgeois hands, and numerous changes of ownership have determined the fate of the large house to this day. A group of architects modernized the interior in a style-appropriate manner in 1920.

The main facade of the castle building from around 1560, with its round-arched portal crowned with an elaborate Salis - Soglio coat of arms, still clearly shows the lingering influence of Gothic style. This can be seen in the irregular distribution of windows of varying sizes across the broad wall surface. The phenomenon of stylistic delay plays a certain role in Swiss art history. - The outbuildings adjacent to the main building, together with a medieval-looking ring wall, enclose an atmospheric inner courtyard, which one would gladly see as a worthy setting for occasional intimate instrumental concerts. The interior of the manor house comprises twelve large rooms and three almost princely halls.