Landshut Castle (Utzenstorf)

The origins of Landshut stretch far back, possibly to a High Burgundian royal court on the castle hill. Later, it was used by the Zähringers and the Counts of Kyburg; the first written mention of a castle dates from 1253. After the extinction of the Kyburgs, Landshut fell to Rudolf von Habsburg, who handed it over to his cousin Eberhard of the Laufenburg line, who founded the County of Neu-Kyburg. In the 14th century, the comital family gradually lost its possessions to Bern. Following the destruction of Landshut in the run-up to the Battle of Laupen and a settlement in the early 15th century, the castle became private Bernese property. In 1514, the city of Bern purchased the estate and established a small bailiwick. In the 17th century, the castle underwent renovations, transforming it into a modern residential, judicial, and administrative center. The three-story bailiwick building with its hexagonal stair tower was built between 1624 and 1630. After 1798, the bailiwick was dissolved, and the castle became private property before becoming a cantonal domain again in 1959.

Today, Landshut Castle serves as a museum. It houses a collection of 17th-century Bernese residential culture as well as the Swiss Museum for Hunting and Wildlife Protection, featuring a collection of hunting weapons. Of the original medieval castle, remnants of the curtain wall and a 13th-century round tower are still preserved.