Habsburg Castle

The castle was built around 1020 on the Wulpelsberg above the Aare, and the family that held it took its name - Habsburg, from Habichtsburg or a related form - before moving their centre of gravity east and eventually holding the Holy Roman, Spanish and Austrian crowns for the better part of six hundred years. The surprise on arriving is the scale: this is a modest keep and hall, not a great fortress, and the family had left it behind long before their power peaked. Bern took the region in 1415. What survives is the residential tower with a small exhibition and a restaurant, and a view over the confluence country where the Aare, Reuss and Limmat meet.

What to look for

• A modest keep, not a palace - the scale that surprises most visitors.
• The dynasty's name origin - the castle the family took its name from.
• A view over three-river country - Aare, Reuss and Limmat converging below.
• A small exhibition and restaurant - what occupies the tower today.

When to go

April to October for the exhibition; the restaurant works year round. Two hours.

Things to know

There is very little to see inside - the interest is entirely historical association. It is a twenty-minute visit unless you eat. The walk up from Brugg takes about an hour. Signage is in German.

Nearby

Konigsfelden and Vindonissa are at Windisch; Wildegg castle is south-west.

Key facts