Kastelen Tower Ruins, Willisau, Switzerland

Kastelen castle was built in the 13th century by the Counts of Kyburg. At the time of the peasant war in 1653 it was looted and left to decay. Today the tower remains.

User Reviews

Bart Pelle (2 years ago)
These ruins are an amazing sight. After only a 20-30 minute hike from the town, you'll be presented an incredible experience of a ruins dating back to 1273. With a massive steel construction totalling 300,000KG, you can make your way to the top of the former watchtower and enjoy a view that lets you see the beautiful landscape and the few towns around. The hike is light and easy, and the steel construction is very stable and doable for kids. Outside are two fire places where you can prepare food, or simply sit and get warm.

Ewelina W (2 years ago)
Lubię to miejsce, idealne na spacer, na grilla, atrakcje dla dzieci.

kamil velart (2 years ago)
Moc pěkný výhled... V zimním období vstup jen do 17 hod.

Aaron Humboldt (4 years ago)
Nice and easy hiking trip to well maintained historic tower with lovely landscape view. Free entry to the tower.

Monika Baechler (5 years ago)
The hike up is quite a workout, but it's worth it. There's no view from the ruin, because it's surrounded by forest. You have beautiful view going up, passing a vineyard and farms. The ruin is accessible, and you can go inside and up. Picnic areas and grilling places are available.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright nikonaft

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Cesis Castle

German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword began construction of the Cēsis castle (Wenden) near the hill fort in 1209. When the castle was enlarged and fortified, it served as the residence for the Order's Master from 1237 till 1561, with periodic interruptions. Its ruins are some of the most majestic castle ruins in the Baltic states. Once the most important castle of the Livonian Order, it was the official residence for the masters of the order.

In 1577, during the Livonian War, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was decisively defeated in the Battle of Wenden (1578).

In 1598 it was incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Wenden Voivodship was created here. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt afterwards, but was destroyed again in 1703 during the Great Northern War by the Russian army and left in a ruined state. Already from the end of the 16th century, the premises of the Order's castle were adjusted to the requirements of the Cēsis Castle estate. When in 1777 the Cēsis Castle estate was obtained by Count Carl Sievers, he had his new residence house built on the site of the eastern block of the castle, joining its end wall with the fortification tower.

Since 1949, the Cēsis History Museum has been located in this New Castle of the Cēsis Castle estate. The front yard of the New Castle is enclosed by a granary and a stable-coach house, which now houses the Exhibition Hall of the Museum. Beside the granary there is the oldest brewery in Latvia, Cēsu alus darītava, which was built in 1878 during the later Count Sievers' time, but its origins date back to the period of the Livonian Order. Further on, the Cēsis Castle park is situated, which was laid out in 1812. The park has the romantic characteristic of that time, with its winding footpaths, exotic plants, and the waters of the pond reflecting the castle's ruins. Nowadays also one of the towers is open for tourists.

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