Lower Castle (Zizers)

Johann Rudolf von Salis, son of the knight Rudolf Andreas von Salis (1594-1668), pursued a talented officer's career in the service of the King of France for twenty-two years. Under Louis XIV, he received the rank of "Marshal of the Camps and Armies of the King" in 1668. In 1664, Johann Rudolf von Salis still lived with his family in his father's small castle (built in 1620) when he had a stone engraved with his coat of arms in Zurich. The French architect Cléber only began with the plans for Zizers Castle in 1670 and then took over the construction management for two years. This information was provided by the extensive correspondence that the builder maintained with his wife. After an interruption of the work for several years, the construction was entrusted to Domenig, a master who completed the shell in 1678.

With its floor plan, Zizers Castle resembles Vaux-le-Vicomte Castle, a masterpiece of Baroque architecture constructed in Melun by Louis Le Vau (1612-1670). Furthermore, it is clear from his letters that Johann Rudolf von Salis had known Le Vau.

The main facade, structured by pilasters, impresses with strict symmetry. A pergola extends in front of the ground floor. The building with its sloping body faces the valley: in the central axis stands a mighty tower with an onion dome. According to a local tradition, the tower – from now on a symbol of the village – served the owner to express his renowned rank. The polygonal shape of the three floors of the tower connects with certain examples of the highest Baroque architecture, for example, those encountered in Tyrol. The base of the tower forms the central body of a symmetrical composition: semicircular at the exit to the garden, it contains the oval salon, and this function exactly matches that of the central pavilion of Vaux-le-Vicomte Castle.

Since the restoration work in 1980-1982, the exterior of the building has regained all its original splendor; the interior with its valuable paneled rooms has been ceded to the Museum of Art and History of Geneva.

The lower castle now houses the St. John's Retirement Home.