Lenzburg Castle

Lenzburg Castle sits on a wooded hill above the small town of Lenzburg, in the canton of Aargau, about twenty minutes by train from Zürich, and it is one of the largest and best-preserved castles in Switzerland. The hill has been occupied since prehistoric times, and the site was the seat of the counts of Lenzburg, a powerful noble family that appears in documents in the eleventh century, with a first mention of the castle dating to the 1030s. The counts died out in the twelfth century, and the castle passed to the Kyburgs and then to the Habsburgs, who held it until the fifteenth century. In 1415, after the Bernese conquest of Aargau, it became the seat of Bernese bailiffs, who ruled the district for almost four hundred years and altered the buildings to suit their needs.

The complex is a cluster of buildings from different periods, grouped around courtyards and enclosed by walls. A drawbridge and a steep ramp lead to the main gate, and inside are a number of structures: the old keep, a large knights' hall, residential wings, a chapel, a kitchen, storerooms and the stables, with the buildings dating from the Middle Ages to the early modern period. The castle served at times as a residence and at times as a prison, and parts of it were adapted for different uses as political fortunes changed. After the fall of the Bernese regime in 1798, the castle was used by the new Helvetic Republic and the new canton, and by the nineteenth century it had been sold into private hands.

The twentieth century added colour to its history. In the 1890s, it was bought by an American, Augustus Edward Jessup, who restored parts of the buildings, and in the early twentieth century it passed to Lincoln Ellsworth, an American polar explorer, who owned it for decades and used it as a base between expeditions. After his death, the castle was acquired by the canton of Aargau and the town of Lenzburg, in the 1950s, and it is now run as a museum by Museum Aargau, an organisation that cares for several historic sites in the canton. This history explains why the castle is so well preserved and why it contains a mixture of medieval and nineteenth-century features.

The exhibitions today cover the history of the castle and of the people who lived and worked there, the culture of the knightly class and the life of a castle household. A children's museum offers hands-on activities, with costumes, craft workshops and role-playing, and the castle is among the best places in the region for families. The grounds include gardens in different styles, among them a historic rose garden and a Baroque garden, and a terrace gives views over the town and the surrounding plain toward the Jura and the Alps. A restaurant in the castle serves meals, and events such as concerts and festivals are held in the courtyard in summer.

Local legend adds a touch of fantasy: a story tells of a knight who defeated a dragon on the hill, and the dragon is used as an emblem of the castle in children's programmes. The castle is reached on foot from the station in about twenty to thirty minutes by a path that climbs through the town and up the hill, and there is a lift for step-free access, though it may be closed for maintenance. Opening times, prices and any access restrictions change, so check Museum Aargau's website before you go. The castle suits families, history readers and photographers. Allow two to three hours.