Today we took a hike to the ruins of an old castle -
"Alt-Wädenswil Castle" (a.k.a. "Old Wadenswil.") The trail is about 5 minutes by car from our house, and makes for a great (and easy) afternoon hike. The ruins of "Old Wadenswil" (pronounced "Vay-dens-ville") sit atop a hill overlooking some rolling hills, and the mountains in the distance. Back in the day it must have been quite a view. There's a sign at the site giving detailed information about the ruins, but as you can see...it's in German (and my German is not so good.) However, I was able to find a little bit about it online. "Old Wädenswil" is the largest castle ruins in the area of the canton of Zurich. The remains show a tower fortress in the center, surrounded by towers and ramparts on the perimeter. The first written mention of the castle was in 1265. Knights inhabited the castle, and were a spiritual order who possessed the surrounding territory. It was later sold to the city of Zurich in 1549, and the first excavation work was done in 1901.
Anyway, the kids had a great time exploring around. Ben and I were trying to imagine knights and archers running around, and we were wondering if there were any battles fought here. Anyway, your imagination runs wild when you're in a place like this. I'm a history buff and I loved this place. Like I said, this place is about 5 minutes by car from our house, so we will definitely be back.
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One mile northwest of Richterswil, along the shore, is Wädenswil. Wädenswil is known for the Catholic Order of St. John, the Bachmann estate of Upper Meierhof, and the "Old" Wädenswil Castle. The castle ruins still exist and are within the city limits of Richterswil.
From 1172, Rudolf the First and his subsequent family ruled over Richterswil from the fortress castle above Wadenswil. By 1297 the family was deeply in debt, and sold the castle to the German Maltese Knights from the Order of St. John.
The original Commander of the Order of St. John at Wadenswil was Hugo the First von Werdenberg-Sargans, who began command on December 1, 1300, followed by five others leading to the time of the Bachmanns. In 1446, Johannes Losel took command at Wadenswl Castle and became the first overlord to approve it as the Bachmann family seat.
Ultimately, generations of Bachmanns were given a deed from the Order of St. Johns to the Wadenswil Castle estate properties (called Upper Meierhof). With the land, Bachmanns created a productive farm that produced fruits and vegetables. They even established a popular mineral spring resort spa on the property.
By1549, the castle was in ruins. The Order of St. John gave the castle to the city of Zurich, which decided against rebuilding it. By 1557, with its roof collapsing, the castle was uninhabitable. However, the old stone walls remained a social gathering and focal point for the community.
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