Tarasp Castle

The origins of Tarasp Castle date back to around 1040, when Count Ulrich I had the complex built on the 100-meter-high castle hill. The Tarasp family, whose possessions indicate an origin from the Como region, extended their rule over vast areas. Between 1087 and 1095, Ulrich II and his siblings founded a monastery in Scuol, which was later moved to Burgeis as Marienberg Abbey. In 1160, Ulrich III of Tarasp bequeathed his share of the castle to the Diocese of Chur, which led to conflicts. After the extinction of the Tarasp family in 1177, the castle frequently changed hands, including the Lords of Reichenberg and the Counts of Tyrol. From 1273, the Matsch family administered the castle, first as bailiffs, later as feudal lords. In 1464, Tarasp became a county under Habsburg rule, leading to ongoing disputes with the people of the Lower Engadine. In the 16th century, the castle was expanded as a border fortress but was devastated by the Graubünden population in 1612. After the Thirty Years' War, Tarasp remained an Austrian enclave in Switzerland until 1803. In the 19th century, the dilapidated castle changed ownership several times until it was acquired in 1900 by the Dresden industrialist Karl August Lingner. Lingner had the complex extensively renovated from 1907 to 1916. After his death, the Saxon king declined the inheritance, and the castle passed to Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt. Today, it is owned by the heirs of the House of Hesse-Kassel.

Tarasp Castle is located at an altitude of approx. 1469 m above sea level in Tarasp, in the Inn district, Canton Graubünden, Switzerland.

Visitors can tour Tarasp Castle today and participate in guided tours.

• Steinsberg (Ardez) ruin (castle), approx. 4.4 km away
• Tuor Vonzun (castle), approx. 4.7 km away
• Tschanuff castle ruin (castle), approx. 10.6 km away
• Rohan (Susch) ruin (castle), approx. 14.0 km away