Schwarzenbach Castle

The first documented mention of the settlement of Schwarzenbach dates back to March 16, 779. In the 12th century, local ministerials of the Abbey of St. Gallen erected a defensive structure to secure the Thur crossing of the road between Wil and St. Gallen. After the extinction of this family around 1250, Count Rudolf of Habsburg acquired the property. After 1282, he had a new castle complex built, which included the keep still preserved today, and founded the town of Schwarzenbach, also known as «Trutz-Wil», to its north. In the conflicts between Habsburg and the Abbey of St. Gallen, both Wil and Schwarzenbach were repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. After the peace of 1301, the complex was supposed to be razed, but it remained intact and eventually passed to Baron Heinrich von Griessenberg. In 1483, the castle and lordship came into the possession of the Prince-Abbey of St. Gallen, which made it the center of the Obervogtei Niederamt. After a fire in 1494, the castle was expanded into a palace.