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The castle ruin with the fantastic view
Walk through the fairytale beech forest up the hill to the castle ruin Kastelen Alberswil and enjoy the peace and the magnificent panorama. This walk-through castle ruin from the 13th century is the best preserved in the canton of Lucerne. From the viewing platform inside the tower, an impressive panorama opens up to you. With a good view, you can see the Säntis, the Alps, the Jura and the Mittelland.
History of the Burgruine
Already in the Stone Age and the Bronze Age the elevation of the Kastelen hill was known as a vantage point. The noble families managed their property here and could see friend and foe from afar. Probably the Lenzburgers built a first earthen fortress on Kastelen. Hartmann V of Kyburg built the present residential tower around 1250. In 1273 the property passed to the Habsburgs. Kastelen defied the onslaught of the Guglers in 1375 and was also spared in the Sempach War of 1386. In 1645 the city-state of Lucerne took over the castle complex. The decay of the castle was accelerated by the removal of the roof tiles during the Peasants’ War in 1653. In 1680 the imperial knight Franz von Sonnenberg bought the castle property including the ruins. Two years later, his nephew Heinrich built Kastelen Castle. This still belongs to the von Sonnenberg family today. The inhabitants of Kastelen could consider themselves lucky, because they had their own water with the sod well. At 57.6 meters, the soda fountain is one of the deepest in Switzerland. Thanks to a special illumination, you as a visitor can look down to the water level along the differently structured shaft walls.
Renovation der Burgruine Kastelen
The Kastelen Castle Ruins Association was able to acquire the castle complex from the entailed estate of the Sonnenberg family. Since then, the mighty ruin has been professionally restored. Since 2006 the tower is accessible again. The impressive “tower within a tower” already makes the ascent an experience. Thereby you can imagine the former rooms. Once at the top, the observation tower offers an impressive panorama. With a good view, you can look from the Säntis over the alpine rim to the Jura and over the Mittelland to the near and far surroundings.
A visit to the Kastelen is worthwhile; special events, such as the “Walpurgis Night” attract not only witches in the night from April 30 to May 1!
Hotel Luzernerhof AG,
Alpenstrasse 3, 6004 Luzern, Schweiz
Tel: 041 418 47 47
