Brestenberg Castle

Brestenberg Castle is a small, Baroque-style castle south of Seengen in the Swiss canton of Aargau, about 200 meters from the shore of Lake Hallwil. It was originally a country estate of the Lords of Hallwyl, which was created in 1625 by expanding a house already built in the 16th century.

In 1622, Dean Samuel Gruner from Seengen sold the Brestenberg property for 4500 guilders to Hans Rudolf von Hallwyl, who commissioned a complete new building three years later. In 1710, a stately farm building was erected on the east side of the courtyard. The castle was also owned by the von May family. After several changes of ownership, the castle was acquired in 1844 by the physician Adolf Erismann. He converted the complex into a hydrotherapy institution and, for this purpose, had a hall building erected, which housed common rooms and baths.

The institution, known throughout Europe, was in operation until after the Second World War and then served as a hotel until the 1980s. Today, the castle is once again a residential building owned by the Winterthur "Foundation for Art, Culture and History" of Bruno Stefanini and is not publicly accessible.