Werdenberg

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Houses in Werdenberg
A house in Werdenberg, and the castle above the city

Werdenberg is a historical village in the canton of St. Gallen. It lies just outside Buchs. Today, between 55 and 60 people live there. There are about 40 houses, some of them only used for holidays. Werdenberg has a castle, which is often visited by tourists.

There was a county of Werdenberg. It included the city itself, the villages of Grabs, Buchs, Sevelen and the right to judge in Wartau. The first count of Werdenberg died in 1182. In 1402, his successors let the county to the Count of Montfort-Tettnang. In 1485, it was sold to the City of Lucerne. In 1517, it was sold to the Canton of Glarus. During Napoleon's reign in Switzerland (called the Helvetic Republic, 1798-1803), Werdenberg was made part of the Canton of Linth (which also included the modern-day Canton of Glarus, and parts of the Canton of Schwyz). After the end of the reign, Werdenberg was made part of the canton of St. Gallen.

Aerial view from 300 m by Walter Mittelholzer (1922)