Alt-Toggenburg, Castle ruin in Kirchberg, Switzerland.

Alt-Toggenburg is a castle ruin perched on a narrow ridge at roughly 970 meters elevation, displaying thick stone walls and foundations. The site spreads along the ridge with a central residential tower positioned in the middle section.

Alt-Toggenburg was first mentioned in 1044 as the ancestral seat of the Counts of Toggenburg, on a site used since the Bronze and Iron Ages. In 1085 Abbot Ulrich III of St. Gallen had it ravaged; it was rebuilt, passed to the abbey of St. Gallen in 1226, to Rudolf of Habsburg in 1289, and back to the abbey in 1320, which had it demolished within the same century.

The St. Idda Chapel, built in the 1930s, stands as a focal point where visitors stop to reflect and pray. It draws people who come to the ruins specifically to visit this small sacred space.

The site sits on a mountain ridge and requires a moderately challenging hike to reach, with paths that can become slippery in wet weather. Sturdy footwear is recommended, and visitors should allow time for both the climb and exploring the ruins.

The castle was first mentioned in 1044, and in 1085 Abbot Ulrich III of St. Gallen had it destroyed; it was then rebuilt. The residential tower of the inner castle measured 14 by 14 metres with walls 2.2 metres thick. The minnesinger Count Kraft von Toggenburg may have come from here.