HISTORY
The impressive keep of the former fortress of Oberhofen was likely built in the early 13th Century.
In the 14th Century it belonged to the Habsburgs. After the Battle of Sempach, the Bernese troops occupied Oberhofen and soon afterwards the fortress and surrounding area came under the control of the Scharnachthal dynasty. Other Bernese dynasties followed. From 1652 to 1798, the castle became a bailiwick and was extended and converted into a castle. In 1801, it became a private property again. In the middle of the 19th Century, the castle was transformed under the Counts of Pourtalès whose ancestors had originated from Neuchâtel in Switzerland and migrated to Prussia.
In 1844 the castle was bought and converted to a summer residence by the aristocratic Pourtalès family from Neuchatel and Prussia. Since 1954 the castle has housed a museum drawing on the history of its former residents. In the servants’ quarters are the restored bedrooms of the personnel who took care of the well-being of the count’s family during the 19th century. The Oriental smoking room at the top of the keep offers a unique experience with its spectacular view onto the lake and mountains. Dating from the fifteenth century is the chapel with its impressive murals.
The Oberhofen Castle park is one of the most magnificent gardens in the Alpine region. With its striking tree formations, exotic wood plants, covered walkway and colourful flower parterres, this historic landscape garden is an ideal oasis to linger and unwind.
In 1940, the American lawyer William Maul Measey established the Oberhofen Foundation. In 1954, the Museum opened to the public as an outpost of the Historic Museum of Berne. On January 1st 2009, Castle Oberhofen became an independent foundation again. In the new building on the seaside, which represents a bridge between the past and the 21st century, the Restaurant Schloss Oberhofen with its terrace on the lake opened in 2013.
ARCHITECTURE
The central keep probably dates from around 1200 and is about 11 by 12.5 meters (36 ft × 41 ft) with 2 m (6.6 ft) thick walls. The rest of the castle developed in the following centuries around this ancient keep. A chapel was added to the first floor of the keep on the lake side in 1473. Perhaps at the same time a tower was built in the lake. The lake tower appears in an illustration of the castle in 1680.
After Bern took over the castle from the von Erlach family it became the seat of a Bernese bailiff and was expanded. By 1700, the Bernese renovations were mostly complete. The original tower was partly surrounded by new buildings done in the Bernese Baroque style. On the lake side the Garden Room was built and the water tower demolished. Over the next centuries, the castle remained virtually unchanged until the castle went back into private ownership. The Neuchâtel-Prussian Count de Pourtàles rebuilt the castle in a Romantic style between 1849 and 1852. The north-eastern side of the keep was rebuilt, as was the entire western facade. A 2.5 ha (6.2 acres) park was added south of the castle. The water tower was rebuilt and crowned with a fanciful spire. In the interior of the castle, a dining hall and grand hall were built. On the upper floors the ornate library and a Turkish smoking room were added. The Turkish smoking room was based on similar rooms from wealthy houses in Cairo and built in 1853 to 1855 on plans from the Bernese architect Theodor Zerleeder. Count Albert Alexander de Pourtalè had spent several years in Istanbul as a Prussian diplomat.
CURRENT SITUATION
The castle’s carefully restored rooms and gardens now serve as a living museum for visitors to enjoy. Standout features include a Turkish smoking parlor and a 13th-century chapel adorned with Romanesque frescoes.
