Spiez Castle History

 

Spiez is beautiful historic castle beautifully located on the shores of the Thunersee near Bern and Interlaken in the Switzerland.

This is small and beautiful castle with lovely gardens, an exceptional Romanesque church, and spectacular views of the Lake Thun and Alpine peaks of the Berner, Oberland region of Switzerland. The castle has a long history going back to at least the twelfth century and houses a historical museum with access to a viewing platform right at the top of the tower. Entry to the millennium-old church and gardens with astonishing panoramic views is free.

The Historic Spiez Castle 

The foundations of Schloss Spiez go back partly to around 1000 A.D but the tower from the thirteenth century is the oldest visible part of the castle. The Barrons of Strattligen were the one of the first known owners of the castle and they resided here from around 1175 until they forced to sell the castle in 1338.

Then Bubbenbergs owned the castle until the family died out in 1506. Although often the important officials in Bern, the Bubbenbergs owned Spiez in their personal capacity making Castle Spiez one of very few castles in Bern and Vaud to be never have been owned by the Bernese state.

Another significant Bernese family " Von Erlach"  used to owned the castle from 1516 to 1878. Switzerland’s most important private library was among-st the items auctioned off when the family sold the castle at the end of the nineteenth century. The present appearance of Spiez castle is mostly thanks to the adjustments made by the Von Erlachs to change the castle from a medieval fortress to  more comfortable residential palace.

The old castle was expanded in several stages during the Middle Ages but very little is known about the specific times or dates. In 1600, the great hall and the northern buildings were actually expanded and then renovated. During the late 17th and 18th centuries the south "New Castle" was built and expanded and then redecorated in the Baroque style. The castle was surrounded with beautiful gardens and forests. After 1875, the castle passed through different owners until a foundation bought the castle and associated it with the church. The gardens are now open to the general public and the castle rooms are used for conferences, exhibitions and other events.