Only the castle tower remains as testimony to its long history.

Pfäffikon Castle has a long history under the influential hand of Einsiedeln Monastery and the Lords of Rapperswil. This stronghold was erected to protect the monasteries income provided by the surrounding properties and lands. Of the former moated castle wall, only the inner tower and its extension remain. In 1839 the roof was reconstructed giving the tower its present appearance. The tower itself is being used for events, weddings and other activities, while the buildings outside of the moat are the home of Freienbach Municipal Administration. The the castle chapel acts as the gateway to the tower and an inner courtyard with its two short bridges and arched gates. The chapel itself is in the baroque style and is very popular for weddings in the region. This castle isn’t really a strong tourist attraction since it doesn’t have a museum but the location is very close to lake Zurich and there is a small marina with park and restaurants. If you are living in the region and haven’t heard of this castle and you're looking to do a small excursion on a beautiful day, this could be a nice day trip.

Brief history

In the years 965/72 the German emperors donated the two farms Pfäffikon and Wollerau to the monastery of Einsiedeln. The Benedictine abbey built a storehouse in Pfäffikon to store the donations in kind from the population. In the middle of the 13th century Abbot Anselm von Schwanden had today's castle tower built to ward off enemy attacks and to protect the income from the monastery lands. In 1299 the complex was reinforced with great effort with walls, ramparts and moats.
Since the complex repeatedly had to serve as an abbot's residence, residential buildings were erected near the tower at the beginning of the 15th century under the direction of Abbot Burkhard von Weissenburg. From then on the castle was called the "Weissenburg". In 1567 Abbot Joachim von Eichhorn erected a Gothic chapel on the present site, which was rebuilt in Baroque style in 1785.
The castle complex served the monastery as an administrative centre until the 18th century and was eventually replaced by the newly built baroque governor's office next door. As a fortified building, Pfäffikon Castle was not only under the control of Einsiedeln Monastery, but also of the "Schirmvögten über die Höfe", the Lords of Rapperwil, the Count of Habsburg, Zurich and Schwyz. As a result, the castle was involved in numerous warlike conflicts.
The end of Weissenburg:
- 1798 Most of the castle complex was destroyed by Napoleon's troops.
- 1820 The remaining walls around the tower were demolished and the abbey and chapel were rebuilt.
- 1839 The rotten roof of the tower was replaced by the present roof truss.
- 1928 Renovation of the castle chapel.
- 1986-88 Chapel, tower and moat are renovated under the direction of Einsiedeln Abbey and the Pro Schloss Pfäffikon association.

Translated from
Pfäffikon Castle Website

Visiting

Pfäffikon Castle
This castle has no museum

Facilities can be rented for:
– Seminars
– Events
– Weddings
Check contact below for information.

Castle grounds
Open to the public but only when the gates are open through the chapel.

Parking
Public Parking next to the castle

Address
Schloss Pfäffikon
Unterdorfstrasse 9
8808 Freienbach

Tel. +41 55 410 24 02
reservation[at]schlossturm.ch