Buonas Castle

The place name Buonas first appears in a 1130 deed of gift, mentioning the knights of Bochunna. A later representative of this lineage, Petrus de Buochnase, is named in 1223. The last heiress, Adelheid von Buonas, married Ulrich von Hertenstein in 1250, transferring the castle into the possession of this Lucerne noble family. Disputes over territorial control led to military threats from Zug in 1421. An arbitration ruling by the Swiss Diet in 1424 resolved the conflict, granting Zug high jurisdiction while the Hertenstein family retained lower and middle jurisdiction. After a fire in 1478, the castle was rebuilt starting in 1494 and completed in 1498 with an additional floor. In 1654, the Hertenstein rule ended when the last heiress married Johann Martin Schwytzer. In 1782, Josef Xaver Thüring Schwytzer sold the castle. Following several changes of ownership and a period of neglect, Count Mieczislaw de Komar acquired the estate in 1862 and extensively restored it. In 1871, Karl von Gonzenbach-Escher had a second building in Neo-Gothic style, the “New Castle,” erected, which was, however, demolished in 1972 and replaced by a less conspicuous structure. In 1997, Hoffmann-La Roche acquired the property.

Buonas Castle is located in the Buonas district of the municipality of Risch in the canton of Zug, Switzerland, at an elevation of approximately 430 m above sea level.

Buonas Castle is currently privately owned and not accessible to the public. The estate has undergone multiple renovations and expansions over the centuries, with the so-called “New Castle” being demolished in 1972.

• Freudenberg Castle (Rotkreuz) (Castle), approx. 1.9 km away
• Karlshof Castle (Zug) (Castle), approx. 3.5 km away
• St. Andreas Castle (Cham) (Castle), approx. 4.2 km away
• Zug Castle (Castle), approx. 4.4 km away