Schloss Oberhofen (Oberhofen Castle)

Oberhofen Castle was constructed around 1200 by the heiress Ita von Oberhofen and her husband Walter von Eschenbach and remained in the possession of their family for more than a century. In 1306 Walter’s great-grandson, Walter IV. von Eschenbach had to relinquish his possessions to Austria under pressure from King Albrecht I. von Habsburg.

After the battle of Sempach (1386), Bernese troops occupied Oberhofen and soon the castle as well as the regency fell to the prominent house of the Scharnachthal, then to other Bernese patrician families. From 1652 to 1798 the castle served as residence of a Bernese Landvogt (governor) before it came into private hands in 1801.

The Duke of Pourtalès from the house of Neuenburg-Preußen commissioned considerable modifications in the middle of the 19th century. In 1940 William Maul Measy, a US lawyer, established a foundation called Stiftung Schloss Oberhofen and in 1954 a branch of the Historical Museum of Berne moved to the castle. On January 1st 2009, the foundation took on the care and preservation of the entire castle and its grounds, continuing to make them accessible to the public.

Oberhofen Castle, situated within an English landscape garden, is beautifully set alongside the right border of Lake Thun with the panorama of the Stockhorn mountain range as a backdrop.

The Castle accommodates an extensive exhibition on Bernese living culture of the 16th to 19th centuries. The Sommersaal (Summer Hall) impresses with its elegance, the Burgkapelle (Castle Chapel) contains mediaeval mural paintings, the Seetürmchen (Lake Tower) tempts visitors to linger and the Turkish Rauchsalon (smoking salon) offers a breathtaking view of the park, Lake Thun and the Alps.

All in all, this jewel on the lake of Thun is the perfect backdrop for an intimate matinee concert filled with wonderful music.