I was actually looking for a sledging hill and if the interested searcher uses the search engine, he ends up in front of the Schauenberg ruins: Schauenberg Castle once stood above Elgg at almost nine hundred meters above sea level. The name says it all, because after a twenty-minute climb, it is not the castle ruins that are spectacular, but the 360-degree view is even more so.
Story
The few excavations visible today date from the 1970s. However, the settlement on the hill dates back to the Bronze Age, when the hill was surrounded by palisades. In the Middle Ages around 1250, Rodolf von Schauenberg had a wooden castle converted into a massive residential tower. The end came in a blow from the Austrian officials together with the citizens of Winterthur and Zurich around 1344.
Access and view
From Hofstetten, continue towards Geretswil, following the signs to the Schauenberg restaurant. There are parking spaces halfway along the one-way circuit, from where it is a twenty-minute walk uphill. The steep climb is worth it. The view almost as far as Lake Constance and the Alps is unique.
And yes: there is a sledding hill there too.
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