Jörgenberg Castle (Ruin) (Waltensburg)

The complex was first documented in 765 as a "castellum" in Bishop Tello's will. Another mention in the Rhaetian Imperial Urbar in the mid-9th century already speaks of a St. George's Church within the castle. After a long gap in documentation, Jörgenberg appears in the early 14th century as the property of the Lords of Friberg, who transferred it to Austria in 1330 and received it back as a fief. After the extinction of the Fribergs, the Barons of Vaz claimed the fief and occupied the castle, leading to conflicts with Austria, which were settled in favor of the Vaz in 1341/1342. Later, in 1343, the Counts of Werdenberg renounced their rights in favor of the Barons of Rhäzüns. The Rhäzünsers united the lordship with the neighboring lordship of Grünenfels in 1378. After the extinction of the Rhäzünsers, Jörgenberg came into the possession of Jos Niclaus von Zollern in 1458, who sold it to Disentis Abbey in 1462. The castle continued to serve as an administrative center and seat of the castellan. In 1539, Mathias von Rungs acquired the castle, followed by the Gandreya family from 1580. They sold the complex to the municipality of Waltensburg in 1734, which later bought itself free from Disentis Abbey with a large payment to finally secure the ownership rights. From the 17th century onwards, the castle began to decay. Extensive conservation and safeguarding work was carried out between 1930 and 2001.

The Jörgenberg ruin is located on an elongated ridge east of the municipality of Waltensburg in the Surselva district, Canton Graubünden, Switzerland, at an altitude of approximately 940 m above sea level.

The ruin is accessible to visitors and can be explored. It offers an insight into the extensive complex, whose walls and keep bear witness to its former significance.

• Grünenfels ruin (Waltensburg) (castle), approx. 1.4 km away
• Friberg ruin (Siat) (castle), approx. 2.2 km away
• Moregg ruin (Obersaxen) (castle), approx. 2.4 km away
• Vogelberg ruin (Waltensburg) (castle), approx. 2.9 km away