Flims Castle

With its gate adorned with a stone in which the coats of arms of Capol-Schorsch and the date 1682 are engraved, the small castle of Flims provides all information about its constructor and the date of completion of the works from the very threshold. Johann Gaudenz von Capol (1641-1732) held the office of the highest Grisons magistrate, and thus, as a delegate, he traversed England and stayed in Vienna and Venice. The naturalist Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672-1733) reports after a stay in Flims that "the knighthood was granted to the very well-known Mr. Gaudenz von Capol in glorious memory of the pious and powerful King William of England". Since the builder died without leaving children, the small castle returned to the hands of his niece Maria, wife of Herkules Dietrich von Salis-Seewis (1684-1755).

Description
The small castle is partly built on the walls of an earlier construction. Except for the annex on the northern facade and the gable on the southern one – two additions from the 19th century – the building was completed in 1682. The four-story residential building owes its castle-like appearance to the tower located along the western flank. The baroque onion dome, which has regained its original form and shingle roof since the renovation of 1980-1983, gives the massive block of masonry a "modern" accent. In the 17th century, tower constructions were very common in Graubünden, as this local architecture served as an external and visible sign of dignity. This castle-like character is further reinforced by the facade decoration, the divisions between the floors, and chains of grey-black plaster in the corners. The use of baroque ornaments and architects in relief is limited to the artistic arrangement of the entrance. Supported by two rustic pilasters with capitals adorned with acanthus leaves, the gable of the gate contains a richly decorated plate with two stamped coats of arms. The first is that of Capol, the coat of arms of the reinforced tower, the second is that of Schorsch. From one part to another, the plant motifs bear initials.

Of rather simple external appearance, the building surprises with the scandal of its interior decoration: we recall that the very valuable old wooden wall paneling was sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1906. In 1730, Herkules Dietrich von Salis-Seewis had the Knights' Hall and the adjoining room furnished in the style of a manor. Currently, the castle is used as the town hall of Flims.