Oberhofen Castle
Oberhofen Castle features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Interlaken. Give it roughly ~60 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type castle
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Interlaken Interlaken guide
.jpg){kind=link}
About Oberhofen Castle
A storybook medieval castle standing in the water on the shore of Lake Thun, with a spired lakeside tower, a castle museum and a lakeside park, remodelled in Romantic style in the 19th century.
Oberhofen Castle, Schloss Oberhofen, stands at the very edge of Lake Thun, its slender spired tower rising straight from the water, one of the most photographed castles in Switzerland. Its keep dates from about 1200; over the centuries it passed from the medieval lords of Oberhofen to the Habsburgs and then to Bern, which ruled it as a bailiwick from 1652 until 1798. In the mid-19th century the Pourtalès family rebuilt it in a Romantic, neo-Gothic style, giving it its present fairy-tale look.
That rebuilding added the fanciful tower turrets and battlements, and an exotic Oriental smoking room, created in the 1850s for a count who had been a diplomat in Istanbul. In 1925 an American lawyer bought the castle and later set up a foundation; since 1954 it has been a castle museum, showing the lives of its residents and servants, and it is surrounded by a landscape park running down to the lake. The museum is open seasonally; the lakeside setting can be enjoyed at any time.
Did you know? Oberhofen Castle stands at the very edge of Lake Thun, its spired tower rising straight from the water; the keep at its heart dates from about the year 1200.
How long is a visit to Oberhofen Castle?
Set aside roughly ~60 min for Oberhofen Castle. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Oberhofen Castle worth your time?
Oberhofen Castle is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Interlaken, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Interlaken
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Oberhofen Castle and read more:
Day 1 of the Interlaken in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Oberhofen Castle
Preview the Interlaken tour free in the Gingerguide app.