Hallwyl Castle

5 July 2022

Hallwyl Castle was the castle of this dynasty until 1798. The Hallwyl family resisted the invasion of the cantons of the Swiss Confederation in 1415. The army of Bern destroyed the castle and occupied most of the Aargau. Rudolf III von Hallwyl recognised the rule of Bern and thus saved the family property from confiscation.

Bern proclaimed the Reformation in 1528, and the Hallwyl family became Protestant. The family branched out into Thurgau, Württemberg, Austria and Bohemia in the 16th and 17th centuries. They adopted the faith of their Lords (cuius regio, cuius religio).

Burkhard III von Hallwyl rebuilt the moated castle in 1590 into the present-day castle. The family lost its privileges and tax revenues in the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803).

The last owners created a foundation in 1925 to preserve the castle. In 1994, the foundation transferred the castle’s ownership to the Canton of Aargau. Hallwyl Castle has been a museum since 2007.

(Source and further information:www.museumaargau.ch/schloss-hallwyl).