Wulp Castle, Castle ruin in Küsnacht, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland
Wulp Castle is a castle ruin at 573 meters (1,880 feet) elevation featuring the foundation of a tower and sections of the defensive wall. The remains sit in a forested valley and form a distinct point in the natural landscape.
The castle's origins are undocumented; a chronicle of Muri Abbey mentions an Eghard of Küsnacht holding a castle near Lake Zurich around 1095, possibly this site. In 1267 Count Rudolf of Habsburg and Zurich's forces besieged and took a castle above Küsnacht during the Regensberg feud, likely Wulp, which was destroyed soon after. Excavations in 1920–1923 uncovered a tower foundation and a multi-part complex.
The site has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, as archaeological work spanning many decades has revealed. People used this location across different time periods, as shown by the remains found here.
The ruins are accessible via hiking trails through Kussnachter Tobel with approaches from both Zumikon and Kussnacht directions. The paths are part of a wider network offering different routes to explore the surrounding area.
The castle's name first appears around 1460 in the Klingenberg chronicle as "wurp by küssnacht"; the form "Wulp" is only recorded in 1548 by Johannes Stumpf. Heinrich Boxler derives it from Old High German hwarb, "turning", meaning a twisted hill, common in the eroded Küsnachter Tobel.
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