Burgruine Last, Medieval castle ruin in Kradolf-Schönenberg, Switzerland

Burgruine Last is a medieval castle ruin in Kradolf-Schönenberg situated on elevated ground in eastern Switzerland. The stone walls command views over the municipality and the surrounding valleys.

The Lords of Schönenberg, ministerials of the Bishop of Constance, built the castle in the first half of the 12th century; Bertoldus and Rodolfo de castro Scoenenberc were first mentioned in 1159. Johannes III, in financial difficulty, returned it to the bishop in 1352 and renounced his rights eight years later. In 1407 Appenzell War insurgents destroyed it, and it was rebuilt, but after 1460 no residents were recorded and it decayed.

The name Last comes from a neighbouring farm and only replaced the older names Vesti and Burg Schönenberg in the late Middle Ages. Since 1974 the ruin has belonged to the Genossenschaft Ruinen Kradolf-Schönenberg, which carried out restoration work from 1974 and most recently in 2004. A barbecue spot on the hilltop makes the site a popular outing, and three hiking trails of different lengths lead up from Kradolf station.

Access is via marked hiking paths that connect from the main road and lead to the site. Informational signs at the location help visitors understand the layout and features of the remains.

The ruin's name only dates from the late Middle Ages, when it was borrowed from a neighbouring farm called Last; before that the castle was known as Vesti or Burg Schönenberg. Its north wall still shows the old high entrance, reached from the level of an upper floor.