Tannenfels Castle (Nottwil)

Tannenfels Castle is located northwest of Nottwil, on the northern slope of the Blumenberg. The current Tannenfels Castle dates back to a medieval castle. It is assumed that the fortified building was constructed in the mid-13th century by Werner II von Sursee und Tannenfels, minnesinger, custos, and provost of Beromünster.

During the great castle destruction at the time of the Sempach War, Tannenfels was also conquered and destroyed by the Lucerners. On the foundations of the "stately ruin," which had lain dormant for over 200 years, the current complex was built in 1688 by Lucerne Colonel Hans Caspar Mayr von Baldegg. The new symmetrical building took the form of a rectangle with five window axes in length and three window axes in width. The ornamental garden faces south. The castle has two floors with a chapel on the ground floor of the tower. In 1752, the Lucerne noble family Balthasar had the castle thoroughly restored upon taking possession of the property.

The current castle tower is a romantic addition from the renovations of 1912. After 1808, the owners of Tannenfels changed rapidly. In 1832, the musician and singer family Stockhausen from Cologne acquired the seat, after which a lively musical life prevailed at the castle until the 1850s. Through the Hoffmann family from Colmar, Tannenfels passed to the Segesser von Brunegg (1888) and later, through marriage, to the Schnyder von Wartensee.