Burg Helfenberg Gossau

Burg Helfenberg Gossau is a castle ruin whose stone remains rise steeply above the Glatt River between Flawil and Gossau in St. Gallen canton. The remains still show the original structure of a medieval fortification positioned on an elevated slope.

The castle was built in the first half of the 13th century and was inhabited by the Gielen von Glattbrugg family, who handed it over to St. Gallen Abbey in 1388. A century later, in 1407, rebellious farmers destroyed it.

The ruins show how medieval noble families managed their lands while remaining under the oversight of St. Gallen Abbey. Visitors can still understand how these fortifications shaped daily life and power relationships across the region.

The ruins are reachable by marked hiking trails starting from Gossau and offer visitors good views of the valley and river landscape. Excavations from 1935 to 1937 exposed the structures, making the historical foundations easy to recognize.

The 1407 destruction was not an isolated event but part of the larger peasant uprisings that fundamentally changed the political order of eastern Switzerland. This revolt is now seen as a turning point in the region's history.