The complex was built by the Bishop of Chur Volkhart (1237-1251). The once mighty fortification was the centre of the episcopal jurisdiction. Later, the delinquents from the Five Villages district were imprisoned in the castle. The village fire of 1897 severely damaged the complex. Today, the castle is owned by the Five Villages District. In 2001, structural safety measures were taken. One of the oldest buildings still inhabited in Zizers is the House of the Bell. Once it was an inn, to which probably also Susten (warehouses with horse positions) were attached. Later, the Haus zur Glocke served as the town hall of the Five Villages district. It housed the district administration, the district office, the district notary's office, the debt collection and bankruptcy office, and the guardianship authority. Today, the beautifully spruced up Haus zur Glocke is used purely as a residential building.