Wichenstein Cave Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Wichenstein is the only cave castle in the canton of St. Gallen. It occupies a cave some fifteen metres deep, opening into the limestone cliff that forms the eastern flank of the Semelenberg, about one kilometre north-west of Oberriet, in the Rhine valley. A screen wall roughly 11.7 m long, still more than 14 m high, closes off the cavity; it has at least four storeys and retains five loopholes, an arched window, a window with a bar-locking mechanism, and a raised entrance door. A knight of Wichenstein is mentioned in 1270, and the ruin is thought to have been the residence of minor local nobles in the 12th–13th centuries. The name may derive from Old High German "wîh", meaning "holy". Destroyed by the Appenzellers in 1405, the castle was sold to the Abbey of St. Gall in 1486. Today the ruin can be visited freely and at no charge: on foot from a car park to an information board, then by a steep path of about five minutes; it is advisable to bring a torch. It has inspired several local legends, including one about a treasure. The site is listed as a cultural property of national importance.