Castles & palaces

Lenzburg Castle is one of Switzerland"s oldest and most important strongholds.

Castle Interior, outbuildings and gardens from the 17th to the 19th Century.
From the cellar to the living chambers, both the original furniture and decoration of the castle have almost completely been preserved.

Magnificent summer residence of the patrician Besenval family

Formerly the scene of imperial parties – now one of the finest medieval ruined castles in Switzerland: well away from the traffic, on a rocky crag that falls steeply away on three sides, are the partially restored walls of Grasburg castle. There are 140 steps to climb up to the castle. The well-preserved ruin can be explored in safety and is a popular destination for families, schools and hiking groups.

For about 1000 years, Alt Bechburg has towered over the Augstbach valley above Holderbank: formerly a huge, proud castle, built in about 1050 by the barons of Bechburg. The castle was destroyed by fire in 1713 and never rebuilt. Nowadays it is a fine viewpoint. The vast Manna Table (9x11 metres), an Expo.02 project, is a nice place for visitors to the castle to rest a while.

North-east of Balsthal rises the Neu-Falkenstein ruin, built by the Bechburgs in the 12th century. The main period of rebuilding was after the big earthquake in 1356. 1798 saw the destruction of the proud castle in a fire. Today, Neu-Falkenstein is a site of national importance. It is open to the public and can be hired for holiday camps or special events.