Hegi Castle (Winterthur)

The origins of Hegi Castle date back to 1225, when the Lords of Hegi, ministeriales of the Bishop of Constance, were first mentioned in documents. They also served as bailiffs for the Petershausen monastery and held fiefs from the Kyburgs and later the Habsburgs. Around 1460, the castle passed to Jakob von Hohenlandenberg, the husband of the last Hegi heiress Barbara. Under Jakob's sons Ulrich and Hugo, the castle underwent expansion around 1500, resulting in the three-story knight's house, a curtain wall, and round towers. In 1519, Hegi came into the possession of the von Hallwyl family through marriage, who acquired lower jurisdiction and made the estate the center of a small lordship.