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About this place
Hünegg Castle (Schloss Hünegg) sits above Lake Thun in Hilterfingen, canton of Bern. This 19th-century Neo-Renaissance residence now houses a museum of historicist and Art Nouveau interiors and is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
Who built Hünegg Castle?
Construction ran from 1861 to 1863 for Albert Emil Otto von Parpart, a Prussian baron who died in 1869. The design came from Berlin architect Heino Schmieden, only 26 when work began. He took his cue from the Loire châteaux, including Blois, Chenonceau and Azay-le-Rideau, which explains the turrets, oriel windows and ornate silhouette.
Why go inside?
Around the turn of the 20th century the estate passed to architect Gustav Lemke-Schuckert, who refitted the rooms in Art Nouveau style around 1900. That decor has survived almost untouched. You see original furniture, textiles, panelling and everyday objects rather than a reconstruction, which makes Hünegg one of the few Swiss manor houses whose rooms still look as they did over a century ago.
What kind of museum is it?
Open since 1966, the Museum für Wohnkultur des Historismus und des Jugendstils documents how a wealthy household lived: salons, dining room, private quarters and service spaces.
How do you get there, and when?
Hilterfingen lies between Thun and Oberhofen on the lakeside road, a short bus or car ride from Thun. The museum is seasonal, open roughly from mid-May to mid-October. Check schlosshuenegg.ch for current hours and prices. The park around the castle suits a stroll, with views of the lake and the Bernese Alps.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hünegg the same as the castles in Oberhofen or Thun? No. They are three separate sites on Lake Thun; Hünegg is a 19th-century Neo-Renaissance residence, not a medieval fortress.
What style are the interiors? Mainly Art Nouveau from around 1900, set inside Neo-Renaissance architecture of the 1860s.
When is it open? Typically mid-May to mid-October; the museum is closed outside the season.
Who designed it? Heino Schmieden of Berlin, commissioned by Baron von Parpart.
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