49 Old Ruins to Explore in Switzerland

Ruins of Sissacherfluh Castle is a castle in the municipality of Sissach of the canton of Basel-Land in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. One of the beautiful attractions in this area and also a historical landmark.

The St. Alban­Tor, dating back to ca. 1400, was part of the fortifications of the old walled city and is the gateway to a picturesque district of the city. The old gateway to the city still has its large wooden door and the heavy paling that was let down in times of danger to bar the entrance to the city. It was one of the ancient attractions in the city and also very famous among tourists.

St. Johanns-Tor is one of the three surviving entrance gates to the old medieval walled city, which formed part of the fortifications built shortly after the great earthquake of 1356. Today this former gateway to the city is home to Basel's police force. The gateway is the landmark of the St. Johann quarter of the city.

The Schlössli is a castle in the Swiss city ​​of Aarau. It is located on the north-eastern edge of the old town, dates back to the 13th century, and is the city's oldest surviving building. Today it houses the Aarau City Museum. The core of the complex is a well-preserved It consists of limestone and coarsely hewn boulders stacked on top of one another. Its square floor plan has a side length of 11.25 meters.

The Old City is the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. Built on a narrow hill surrounded on three sides by the river Aare, its compact layout has remained essentially unchanged since its construction during the twelfth to the fifteenth century. Despite a major fire in 1405, after which much of the city was rebuilt in sandstone, and substantial construction efforts in the eighteenth century, Bern's old city has retained its medieval character.

The Castello Visconteo, now an archaeological museum, is located on the edge of the old town and was built in the 12th century, probably as the residence of a Captain Orelli, who remained true to the Emperor. In 1260, it fell into the hands of the Ghibellines. In 1342 the Visconti of Milan, for whom it is now named, attacked the castle from both the land and the lake side and took it. It first came into the hands of the Eidgenossen in 1503.

Waldegg Castle is rightly considered the most beautiful country manor of the Solothurn patriciate. Today the castle is a museum - and inside, baroque-furnished salons and massive oil paintings document former, everyday life. And outdoors, baroque-style premises with orange trees and vegetable garden invite you to a leisurely stroll. It was one of the iconic buildings in this area and it attracts a lot of visitors.

The Wartenberg is a striking landmark of the Basel-Landschaft community of Muttenz. On the mountain, there are ruins of three medieval castles, which are also named Wartenberg. All three castles were “cleared out” and “restored” during the “castle-romantic phase” in the 1930s to 1950s, with some archaeological findings being lost and historical building material being falsified. The "castle romanticism" led to a broad interest of the population in the Middle Ages.

The Zytglogge is a landmark medieval tower in Bern, Switzerland. Built in the early 13th century, it has served the city as a guard tower, prison, clock tower, the centre of urban life, and civic memorial. Despite the many redecorations and renovations, it has undergone in its 800 years of existence, the Zytglogge is one of Bern's most recognizable symbols and the oldest monument of the city, and with its 15th-century astronomical clock, a major tourist attraction.