Schlossturm Pfäffikon

Freienbach, Switzerland, Switzerland

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Schlossturm Pfäffikon is the surviving tower of a mid-13th-century moated castle in Pfäffikon, part of Freienbach municipality in Switzerland's canton of Schwyz, originally built by Einsiedeln Abbey's Abbot Anselm von Schwanden as a watchtower, granary, and residence to protect monastic lands and revenues near Lake Zurich.

Expanded in 1299 with walls and ramparts during grazing disputes, it later became the "Weissenburg" summer residence with added living quarters and a Gothic chapel under various abbots, serving administrative roles until largely destroyed by Napoleonic troops in 1798.

Recognized as a Swiss heritage site of national significance, the robust stone tower with its 1839 reconstructed roof now stands amid renovated grounds including a chapel and moat, offering visitors lake views and a link to medieval monastic power.