Wyher Castle

Ettiswil, Switzerland

Wyher Castle is a moated castle, which lies south of the village center of Ettiswil. It was first mentioned in 1304 as the home of the Freiherr von Wediswil. After passing through several owners, around the end of the 15th century it was acquired by the Feer family. Around 1510, Petermann Feer rebuilt it into a late-Gothic castle. In 1588 it was inherited by Ludwig Pfyffer von Altishofen, whose descendants adopted the name Pfyffer von Wyher. Between 1837 and 1964 it was owned by the Hüsler family, who were local farmers.

In 1964 a fire partially destroyed the castle and it was acquired by the canton. Renovations in 1981–83 and 1992–96 repaired the damage and restored the moat. In 1996 it became a museum, housing the Josef Zihlmann collection of local religious art.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: c. 1304
Category: Castles and fortifications in Switzerland

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Andréa Hagen (8 months ago)
Nice stop. Just walked around the castle.
Paul Tutte (2 years ago)
Great place for a wedding
Sabina Novak Berkopec (3 years ago)
Beautiful place, wonderful Advents- and Weihnachtsmarket.
Ross Heaney (3 years ago)
Gorgeous little castle, which is fully accessible to the public, the gardens are open for free. A bus stop is located opposite the castle.
Andrei Kovalev (4 years ago)
Nicely decorated and renovated event location. Situated in così marvelous surrounding. Outside looks like a snowwhite castle. At closer consideration ist a real castle with water front and protective walls and towers and a bridge. There is a movie theater inside.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.