Bellikon Castle

Bellikon Castle is a castle in the Swiss municipality of Bellikon in the canton of Aargau. It is located west of the village center in an extensive park, high above the Reuss Valley on a terrace of the Heitersberg.

The castle was built in the third or fourth decade of the 14th century by the Krieg family. The Kriegs came from Zurich and had been among the most respected families in the city since the 12th century. In 1314, Peter Krieg acquired part of the estates and rights in Bellikon from the Habsburgs. The Kriegs adopted the surname "von Bellikon" in 1343 and acquired further estates in neighboring villages over time. The vogtei (bailiwick) and castle were acquired in 1605 by the pastor in Seengen, and in 1640 by the Schmid family from Uri. Later, the castle changed owners at regular intervals; at the beginning of the 20th century, it temporarily served as a sanatorium.

The floor plan of the four-story castle is a rectangle approximating a square. The late Gothic main building has walls 1.3 meters thick. On the south side, shifted westward from the central axis, a circular stair tower (Schneggen) is attached. More modern additions include another stair tower at the northeast corner, a veranda to the west, and an arched loggia to the east connecting to the neighboring castle chapel. Inside the inhabited building are French-influenced salons. The "Zürcher Stube" (Zurich Room) on the first floor is decorated with colorful coats of arms.

East of the castle, integrated into the park wall, stands the chapel built in 1676. It is a simple rectangular building with a recessed, three-sided choir.