Münchenwiler Castle

The origins of Münchenwiler Castle date back to the 12th century, when a Cluniac monastery was established on this site. In 1448, the monastery suffered damage during conflicts with the Savoyards but was later restored. In 1484, it came into the possession of St. Vincent's Collegiate Church in Bern. With the introduction of the Reformation in 1528, the monastery was dissolved and sold in 1535 to the Bernese Schultheiss Hans Jakob von Wattenwyl. The von Wattenwyl family had the monastery buildings demolished and used the stones to erect a new castle, fortified with a tower at each of its four corners. In 1668, the estate passed to the von Graffenried family, who owned it until 1932.