Heinzenberg Castle
Heinzenberg Castle is a ruined castle in the municipality of Cazis in the Viamala Region of the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.
History
Heinzenberg Castle was built on the western side of the Domleschg Valley in the 12th century by the Freiherr von Vaz. In contrast to the small landholdings of other castles in the region, Heinzenberg was the political and judicial center over much of the valley. Though the first mention of the castle was in 1394, by 1380 the name was applied to the river and the entire side of the valley. The castle was the center of the Vaz family's power in the region until the extinction of the line in 1337–38.After the extinction of the House of Vaz, the castle passed through the marriage dowry of Ursula von Vatz to Count Rudolph IV von Werdenberg-Sargans. In 1383, his son Johann sold it to Ulrich Bran von Rhäzüns. In 1450, there was a dispute over inheritance in the Rhäzüns family; the imperial court at Rottweil assigned Heinzenberg to Ursula von Hohenberg, a member of the Rhäzüns family. The castle was damaged in 1451–52 during fighting in the nearby Schams part of the valley. In 1461 the castle returned to the Werdenberg-Sargans family. In 1475, the Heinzenberg lands, except for the castle, was sold to the Bishop of Chur. In 1482, there was a Werdenberg vogt resident in the castle. After the death of Count Georg von Werdenberg-Sargans in 1504, it was abandoned and fell into ruin.