Oberdiessbach Castle german: Schloss Oberdiessbach (also called Neues Schloss) is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

Oberdiessbach Oberdiessbach is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2010 the former municipality of Aeschlen and on 1 January 2014, Bleiken bei Oberdiessbach merged into the municipa ...

of the

Canton of Bern The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...

in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

History

The town of Oberdiessbach (known as Diessbach until 1870) was the center of the

late medieval The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Rena ...

Herrschaft The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...

'' of Diessbach. The first castle in the area, Diessenberg on the Falkenfluh was built above the town and was destroyed in 1331. In 1546 Niklaus von Diesbach built the ''Alte Schloss'' (Old Castle) on the valley floor near the town. In 1666, near the Old Castle, construction began on the ''Neue Schloss'' or New Castle for Albrecht von Wattenwyl (1617-1671). Albrecht von Wattenwyl had been a commander of the

Swiss Guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard (also Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard; la, Pontificia Cohors Helvetica; it, Guardia Svizzera Pontificia; german: Päpstliche Schweizergarde; french: Garde suisse pontificale; rm, Guardia svizra papala) is ...

in service to the French king. So, he had the castle built in the French late

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

style. It was built by the Neuchatel architect Jonas Favre. The castle exterior remained generally unchanged after initial construction finished in 1668. The only major changes occurred around 1720, when the gate house was converted into a prison and in the 1850s when the garden was redone in the English style. The garden remained an English garden until 2005 when it was converted back into a Baroque style garden.

The castle today

Today Oberdiessbach Castle remains the home of the von Wattenwyl family. Groups may tour the castle from April until October with prior arraignments. Some rooms in the castle and the gardens can be rented for events. Every July there are several Jazz concerts in the castle gardens as part of the Castle Jazz Festival.Oberdiessbach Castle
accessed 7 May 2013 The castle is surrounded by a of working farms.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberdiessbach Castle Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern Castles in the Canton of Bern

History

The castle today

See also

References