The ruined castle of Steinsberg with the remains of the St Lucius chapel is a well-known landmark in Ardez. The ruin occupies a dominant position on a rocky outcrop on the edge of the village and offers an ideal vantage point. The model village in the Lower Engadin is under European protection as an historical monument.

There is documentary evidence of a castle on the site dating back to the year 1209. It has changed hands several times over the centuries. In 1499, Austrian marauders invaded the valley, plundering and setting alight many villages and the castle. Steinsberg was never rebuilt.

The relationship between the castle, village and cultural landscape are clearly in evidence in Ardez. The castle protected the village, and, in return, the villagers paid a tithe on what they earned from the fields and meadows. The village is also a good exemplar of Romanesque culture.

While most of the other villages in the Engadin were devastated by natural disasters and fires in the Middle Ages or in modern times, Ardez has been spared from harm ever since 1622. The almost 400-year-old village is an invaluable testament to history and therefore an extremely important part of efforts to preserve historical monuments and traditional culture.