Wädenswil Castle

After the Reformation, the Knights Hospitaller sold the lordship of Wädenswil to the Canton of Zurich in 1549. Subsequently, the commandery was integrated into the city-state of Zurich as a bailiwick. Between 1550 and 1555, Wädenswil Castle was built as the official residence for the Zurich bailiff. The older Alt-Wädenswil Castle had to be demolished in 1557 by resolution of the Tagsatzung (Diet), as the cantons of Glarus and Schwyz feared its military use by Zurich. For over 250 years, the castle served as an administrative center for the Zurich bailiffs. In 1613, religious disputations with representatives of the Anabaptist movement took place here. After the collapse of Zurich's rule in 1798, the castle was declared national property and leased to the municipality of Wädenswil. During the Bockenkrieg (Bocken War) in 1804, the bailiff's castle was set on fire by insurgents and burned down.