Felsenburg Castle

Kandergrund, Switzerland

Felsenburg castle was probably built in the 12th century for the Freiherr of Kien. The castle was built on a rocky spire above the road over the Gemmi pass into Valais. It was inherited, along with the rest of the Herrschaft of Frutigen, by the Freiherr of Wädenswil in 1290. The Freiherr of Turn acquired it from Wädenswil in 1312. It was mentioned in a record in 1339 as the castrum de Petra. It was again mentioned in 1368 as Stein, German for Stone. In 1400, Bern acquired the castle along with the rest of the Herrschaft. They abandoned Felsenburg and allowed it fall into ruin.

Currently, only the rectangular main tower and remnants of the outer walls are still standing.

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Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Switzerland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

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4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Daan Wilmink (19 months ago)
Very beautiful ruin! Really worth it. It's only a 20 minute walk from the street. You have to walk to Mitholtz station and go directly under it and turn left. Not via Google Maps, this is not correct! Felsenburg is then indicated. Then follow the walking signs. Nice walking path and a nice finishing spot; the last part is still very steep and feels adventurous. Then in the ruins it is a kind of old/small castle
Thomas Fuchser (2 years ago)
The ruins are easy to reach on foot. The last passage is very steep and caution is advised. From up here you have a beautiful view of the Kandertal.
Adam Gomez (3 years ago)
Really cool ruins and a nice walk. Just do not follow Google's directions, they are extremely wrong. You'll need to go up the ramp right past the Mitholz train station, from there if you follow the signs up some paths you should be able to find your way to Felsenburg. When you get to the area below the ruins, there will be a small access gate by the little house which has a sign pointing up with Felsenburg written on it. Just go through the small gate by lifting up and proceed up the steps to the castle.
Jan Pieren (3 years ago)
Pretty castle ruins, a little more remote than the Tellenburg, in a quiet location, with an unobstructed view of the Kandertal and the Lötschberger northern ramp. Highly recommended.
reto reichen (5 years ago)
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