Helfenberg Castle Ruins

A ruin from the early Middle Ages, nothing unusual, but still worth a little detour if you walk past it on the hiking trail. (The ruin is about 100 meters from the path.) Inside the ruin walls there is a small barbecue area under a large shady tree and a small meadow where you can linger and relax. In addition, you will be rewarded with a beautiful view all around due to the elevated location. During our visit, a toilet was set up in a small wooden house for urgent needs.

The medieval Helfenberg Castle was first mentioned in a St.Gallen document at the beginning of the 14th century. As early as 1413, there is only talk of a castle stables, which suggests that the complex was no longer habitable or only habitable to a limited extent at that time.
In 1980, the Office for Archeology of the Canton of Thurgau carried out a small excavation in the north-western corner of the building. A few pot fragments and an oval bronze buckle were found under a thick layer of fire rubble. It is interesting that some of these finds date back to around 1200. Helfenberg Castle
probably built more than 100 years before the first written mention in 1331
have been. The ruins were renovated in 1981/82 and 2010/11.
(Source: archaeologie.tg.ch/fundstellen/fundstellen-mit-tafeln-im-gelaende/huettwilen-ruine-helfenberg.html/5918)

For the area surprisingly large and well-preserved castle ruins, with barbecue in the castle interior.