Balliswil Castle (Düdingen)

The ancient residence of the von Montenach family is an intact architectural ensemble with a manor house, farm, outbuildings, and chapel. However, in 1653, a fire devastated the residential building. The then owner, the treasurer Beat Jakob von Montenach, had it rebuilt. After his death (1663), the estate returned to the hands of the Castella branch, then in the early 18th century, it was sold to Jean-Frédéric von Diesbach, in whose possession it remained until 1933.

The architecture of the manor house adheres strictly to the architectural traditions of the region. The building, a massive stone construction with a stair tower, shows on its south side the regular openings of the late Gothic style windows arranged in a row, as well as a rounded door. The side of the canopy is covered with acanthus branches and war emblems. The wing facing the avenue dates from the last century.

Let's go inside, into the well-known Green Room, the most sophisticated, as it is completely painted and bordered by richly decorated chests. The wall paintings imitate Flemish tapestries with flowering garlands. Each panel depicts a scene: sometimes the life of the lord, sometimes that of the farmer. Even if the artist – an unknown one – was not a master of figurative painting, one cannot help but admire this ensemble of decorations. In the corner stands a stoneware stove. Unfortunately, the sources are incomplete, so it is not known who commissioned these paintings: von Montenach, Castella, or von Diesbach. It could have been the aforementioned Jean-Frédéric von Diesbach, a senior general who was elevated to the rank of prince by Emperor Charles VI. He had first committed himself to the service of Louis XIV, but being dissatisfied with his meager pay, he entered Dutch service in 1710. This would explain the choice of Flemish tapestries as models. It is known with certainty, however, that the frescoes on the ceiling of the adjacent room were realized at his request.