Laufen Castle (german: Schloss Laufen) is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in the municipality of Laufen-Uhwiesen in the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

canton of Zurich Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance overlooking the

Rhine Falls , photo = File:SBB RABe 514 DTZ Rheinfall.jpg , photo_width = 280 , photo_caption = Rhine Falls with Rheinfall Bridge and Laufen Castle , location = On the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich next to Schaffhausen, i ...

. The first documented reference to the castle dates to the year 858 when it was the home of the Barons of Laufen. It passed through several owners until the

Old Zürich War The Old Zurich War (german: Alter Zürichkrieg), 1440–46, was a conflict between the canton of Zurich and the other seven cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy over the succession to the Count of Toggenburg. In 1436, Count Friedrich VII of ...

(1439–1450) when the castle was acquired by the Fulach family, from whom the city of Zurich bought the castle in 1544. Following the

Helvetic Republic The Helvetic Republic (, , ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...

(1798–1803) the castle was once again in private ownership, with the city of Zurich reacquiring the castle by buying it again in 1941. The castle now serves as a tourist attraction, and contains a restaurant and a

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ba ...

. Between 2009 and 2010 a project was undertaken to restore and expand the facilities, including a visitors’ centre situated in the former staff quarters, an exhibition in the northern part of the castle, and a wheelchair-accessible circular walkway with glass lift between castle and river levels. Laufen is overlooking

Wörth Castle The Wörth Castle is a fortification in the Swiss municipality of Neuhausen am Rheinfall in the Canton of Schaffhausen. Geography The water castle is located at the ''Rheinfall'', built on a small island in the Rhein river at the municipality ...

, on the opposite side of the Rhein river, in the Canton of Schaffhausen. The

Rheinfall railway line The Rheinfall Railway (german: Rheinfallbahn) is a railway line in Switzerland. The line links Winterthur in the canton of Zurich with Schaffhausen in the canton of Schaffhausen. The Rheinfall Railway was constructed by the independent ''Rheinf ...

passes through a tunnel under the castle, halting at the Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall station to the south of the tunnel and beneath the castle walls. The station is linked to the castle by a walkway.

References

External links

*
Official web site of Laufen Castle
Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Zürich Castles in the canton of Zürich Tourist attractions in the canton of Zürich {{Switzerland-castle-stub

See also

References

External links