The counts of Winterthur likely built the first fortification at Kyburg in the second half of the 10th century. The article says Conrad II destroyed an early castle in 1028 or 1030, and it was rebuilt. The core of the extant castle dates from the 13th century, with major additions in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is an irregular quadrangle around a single courtyard, with a bergfried, great hall, chapel and ring wall.
The Imperial Regalia were kept in the castle from 1273 to 1322, with one interruption. In 1349, 330 Jews were burned within the fortress. Zürich bought the county in 1424, and the bergfried was built that year. Caspar Schwarzenbach designed the French formal garden in 1700.
The castle was auctioned in 1831 and bought in 1835 to prevent its destruction. It opened as a museum in 1865. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
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