Wichenstein Castle

Switzerland, Switzerland

---

Wichenstein Castle is a unique cave castle, or Höhlenburg, in Oberriet, Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, carved into a limestone cliff overlooking the Rhine Valley and built in the 13th century by the Wichenstein family, likely as a fief of St. Gallen Abbey.

The structure features a 15-meter-deep natural cave fortified with a 2.1-meter-thick front wall containing small windows and a central door accessed by a wooden bridge, destroyed in 1405 by Appenzell forces after the Battle of Stoss and later passing to abbey control by 1486.

Recognized as Switzerland's only grotto castle in St. Gallen and a heritage site of national significance, its ruins include remnants of multi-level rooms with legends of haunted knights and underground passages, accessible via hiking trails in a protected nature reserve.