Type Ruined castle Owner Municipality of Vaduz | Location Vaduz, Liechtenstein | |
Alternative names Ruine Schalun, Wildschloss Construction started built around the end of the 12th century, first written record from 1237 Similar Alps, Vaduz Castle, Drei Schwestern, Gutenberg Castle, Obere Burg | ||
Schalun Castle (German Burg Schalun or Ruine Schalun), also known colloquially as Wildschloss ("Castle in the wild"), is a castle ruin located in the municipality of Vaduz, Liechtenstein. It lies in the mountains, roughly 1 kilometer to the northeast from the town centre of Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein. It is freely open to tourists and accessible by foot or mountain bike via a local footpath. Schalun Castle is one of the five existing castles in Liechtenstein and one of the three ruined ones in the country.
History
The castle was constructed probably during the second half of the 12th century or around the turn of the 12th century, at the latest. The first written record about the castle comes from 1237. In it, it was also first referred to by name, as "Schalun". Archeological digs made in recent decades have revealed only small amounts of artefacts from the medieval and early modern period, suggesting that the castle might have been cleared and burned down at a later point in its history. In the 18th century, the castle came into the possession of the then Prince Regnant of Liechtenstein. The ownership of the castle ruin was handed over to the Municipality of Vaduz in 1933. Today, the best preserved parts of the castle are its grand hall and the remaining section of its keep.