[1] The castle was built on a rock wall that rises 250 m (820 ft) above the Viamala river and the important roads over the San Bernardino and Splügen Passes.

By the High Middle Ages the church was the center of a large parish and was also used as a refuge from attack.

In 1473 the communities of Thusis, Masein and Cazis agreed to build a road on the other side of the river which completely bypassed Hohenrätien and removed any motivation to rebuild.

[3] In the late 19th century a project to build an aerial tramway from Thusis to Hohenrätien was considered, but not built.

However, developers built an alpine restaurant in an arched roof basement in the castle ruins.

[7] In 1973 the Hohenrealta family foundation began working with cantonal authorities and local volunteers to restore and excavate the castle.

Archaeological excavations in 1997 and 2001 explored the Roman and early medieval ruins around the castle site.

In the center of the castle is the main tower, which has a cistern on the ground floor that could hold about 30,000 L (7,900 US gal).

Wooden platforms were built around the walls at the same height as the original floor, though the center was left open to allow light into the entire tower.