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SARGANS CASTLE
Restaurant & Museum in Medieval of Fortress of Heidiland

The medieval building stands majestically on a hilltop with its tall tower keep looking on the passes through the mountains, where once wagons passed on ancient trails, now railway tracks and auto routes carry travelers. Easily seen from and reached with a modest walk from the Sargans train station, the Sargans Castle has a long history where hospitality could be counted on for travelers through the Rhine River valley. In olden days, the ruling counts (landvogts) invited guests to feasts on public holidays. But today, where once counts, countesses and knights once slept and dined, now a restaurant is the main attraction at Sargans Castle, with dining rooms in the former medieval chambers, halls and bedrooms.

The promontory of Mt Gonzon overlooks the Rhine River Valley as it passes through the Sargans Plains and Sees Valley. The Romans probably had a watch tower here to control trade and traffic from the southern Alps passes to Lake Constance. In the 12th Century, the Counts of Montfort-Werdenberg-Sargans built the first medieval tower. In 1260, the counts founded the town below, which was linked to the castle by a footpath. After an earthquake in 1459, the castle was rebuilt in late medieval style with the main residential building, the “Palas” erected. The castle was besieged many times during the wars of the Burgundy dukes, and was never breached, but the counts of Sargans couldn’t escape the shifts in times and in 1483, the last of the old line sold the fortress. Cantonal bailiffs used the stronghold as their administrative seat, with living quarters, armory, and courtroom from 1483 until the founding of the Helvetic Republic in 1798. An older structure behind the tower, the “Hinterschloss“ was demolished in 1860, replaced by the current observation decks. Its roofline is still visible in the tower wall. The mostly abandoned castle fell into disrepair until purchased by the city of Sargans in 1899 and it has been a restaurant since 1901.

The Old Count’s room is the oldest surviving living quarter of the castle, attached directly to the tower keep with a passage connection. This served as the land holders’ living quarters in medieval days, before later more comfortable additions, now with reproduction wall paintings. The Countess Agnes Stube gets its name from the last Countess Agnes von Mätsch, the last feudal occupant of the castle in the 18th Century. The chamber, now a dining room, was the countess’ living room with connected bedroom alcove with original furnishings from the 1700s. The Knight's Hall, the largest and most impressive chamber once served as a county courtroom and is nicknamed the “poor sinners hall”. The wood paneled walls and ceiling beams are decorated with the Coat of Arms of the local provinces and a 16th Century painting of the Crucifixion adorns the window frame. The Torkelkeller, just inside the castle entrance holds wine press dating from the 16th century where wine tasting is offered.

The restaurant shares Sargans Castle with the Sarganserland Museum, the museum of life in the county of Sargans. The museum occupies 6 floors of the medieval keep tower, with the levels of exhibits reached by the ancient wooded stairs from floor to floor. The floors are divided in themes from the Middle Ages to modern times, presenting themes from Alpine agriculture, mining, clothing, medieval church and castle life, law and industrialization, with interactive audiovisual screens as well as historic artifacts.

Visiting Sargans Castle

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Schloss Sargans