Grynau Castle, Tuggen, Switzerland

Grynau castle tower is situated at the then only bridge over the Linth river. Built probably in the early 13th century by the House of Rapperswil, the castle secured the strategically important river crossing in the area between the Grafschaft Rapperswil and the House of Toggenburg. The property was documented in 1311, when the castle was taken by force by Rudolf von Laufenburg-Rapperswil probably from the Toggenburg family.

In the summer of 1799, the French and Austrian troops fought in the Second Coalition War at the strategically important bridge which was destroyed three times, and rebuilt, and occupied by the French troops in the aftermath of the Second Battle of Zurich. Again in 1833, Swiss federal troops were concentrated at the Grynau castle, on occasion of the then planned division of the canton of Schwyz, however, waived without an armed intervention. And again in a Swiss civil war, the so-called Sonderbundskrieg, federal troops crossed the important bridge in March 1847, without a single dead soldier on both sides.

In the 19th century the remaining buildings, the tower, the adjacent barn and the former accommodation building, were bought by Schlossvogt Kälin, who rebuilt the surrounding building into the Landgasthof Schloss Grynau, a country inn, which is still held by the family.

The architecture dates back to the early 13th century. The five-story tower measures 12.5 x 12.5 metres, the foundation walls are 2.2 metres meters thick. The castle was between 1807 and 1816 widely rebuilt on occasion of the construction of the Linth channel; the road and bridge cross as of today in between the preserved tower and the former economic structures that were widely broken. In 1906 a fire broke out in the barn, which was adjacent to the tower and destroyed the roof and the interior of the tower. The castle tower was re-decorated and re-roofed and a new barn built in the following year.

User Reviews

BE Strategic (2 years ago)
Horrible service, don’t go there

Regina Hoffmann (2 years ago)
It's a lovely summery holiday atmosphere here with lots of swimming and boating in the canal next to the restaurant. Dogs love it too as they can walk free safely along the canal and even go for a swim if they like. We also had a lovely time at the restaurant, sitting outside in the sun with a view of the mountains after one on the many beautiful walks in the area along the canal. Their walnut pie was to die for. Second time we went, we shared a "gemischte" salad for a small additional fee. It was surprisingly good and more than enough for lunch!

Christian Hoffmann (2 years ago)
Simply wonderful place to sit on their sunny terrace. Very friendly and fast service, fantastic cappuccinos and their walnut cake is to die for. Highly highly recommended.

Illian Gruenberg (3 years ago)
Marvelous view. Petit and sweet church, authentic swiss resteraunt and good place to swim.

Googl I (3 years ago)
Tiny but cute. It's not exactly a castle, looks more like a knight's tower.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Roman Moško

Historic Site of the week

Trencín Castle

Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.

History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.

Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.

Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.

Grynau Castle

Address

Details

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historical Gems of Costa Verde

Historic Site of the week

Trencín Castle