Altenklingen Castle

Altenklingen Castle (Schloss Altenklingen) is a late Renaissance castle in the municipality of Wigoltingen, in the Swiss canton of Thurgau. It stands above the Kemmenbach stream, in the hamlet of Altenklingen near Engwang, and is one of the better-known manor houses of eastern Switzerland.

What is Altenklingen Castle?

The present building is a pair of houses with stepped gables, put up in 1586. They replaced an earlier medieval fortress on the same site. The complex was reworked in 1812, but the overall late Renaissance character has remained. Within Thurgau it is classed as a castle of the late Renaissance style, which is relatively rare in a region where most surviving castles are medieval.

What is the history of the site?

Tradition holds that the Lords of Klingen built a first castle around 1200 as a successor to a nearby older stronghold, the Altenburg. When the noble family divided around 1225, the castle became the ancestral seat of the Lords of Altenklingen.

After that line died out, the estate went in 1395 to Wilhelm von Enne. In 1407 Appenzell forces besieged it without success. It was sold in 1419, then passed to the von Breitenlandenberg family in 1441 and to the Brümsi von Herblingen in 1559.

A decisive change came in 1585, when Leonhart Zollikofer of St. Gallen acquired the lordship together with its lower court rights. He turned Altenklingen into the basis of a family trust (Fideikommiss). The lordship of Altenklingen was the largest judicial lordship in Thurgau that belonged neither to the church nor to a sovereign ruler. The castle at its centre was rebuilt in 1586, the form we see today.

What happened after the lordship ended?

The lordship was dissolved in 1798, but the castle and its lands stayed with the family foundation, which still exists. In 1864 a family museum was set up in the rooms that had been emptied, and today it holds notable collections tied to the history of the family and the estate.

Where is it and how do I get there?

The castle lies at roughly 47.602 N, 9.078 E, in the rural landscape of the Thurgau hills between Lake Constance and the Thur valley. It suits a cycling or driving trip through orchards and farmland, combined with other stops in the Wigoltingen area.

Frequently asked questions

When was Altenklingen Castle built? A medieval castle was built around 1200. The present stepped-gable houses date from 1586.

What style is it? Late Renaissance.

Who owns it? The castle and estates have remained with the Zollikofer family foundation since the lordship was dissolved in 1798, according to the Historical Lexicon of Switzerland.

Is there a museum? A family museum was installed in 1864 and has grown into a significant collection. Check current opening arrangements before visiting, as access to private estates can be limited.

In which municipality does it lie? Wigoltingen, canton of Thurgau, Switzerland.