• CH & IT Roadtrip
    Schloss Spiez ... from the garden we pop into on our way to the castle — Spiez, Switzerland.
    Garden @ Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Garden @ Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.The Castle Church is at the far end of the courtyard — Spiez, Switzerland.Across the lawn ... Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.One of the many beautiful carved doors @ Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Stoves decorated with ceramic tiles were used for heating @ Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Stained glass panels @ Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Depiction of Spiez circled by Burgundian troops @ Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.The kitchen @ Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.From the kitchen @ Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.A box bed ... sign of a certain level of prosperity ... Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.The Gardrobe ... waste fell down a bricked shaft into a pit within the moat ... Schloss Spiez.Stained glass panels ... Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Beautiful wood paneling @ Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Banquet hall (added in 1614) ... Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Plaster detail from the banquet hall @ Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.View of Spiez from the keep of Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.The marina and the town from the keep of Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.The Castle Church and Lake Thun from the keep of Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.Illustration and costume from a court dance ... Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.17th century illustration of the castle by A. Kauw ... Schloss Spiez — Spiez, Switzerland.

    OtR: Schloss Spiez

    August 6 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Today was another day on the road. But we needed to kill some time before heading to our next destination.

    So, after checking out of the studio apartment in Leissigen, we drove the short 5.5 miles to Spiez … a town on the shore of Lake Thun.

    First on our agenda was a visit to Schloss Spiez … the iconic landmark of the town. Arriving a few minutes before the castle opened for the day, we not only scored a parking spot just outside the castle, but also got to enjoy the grounds and the castle before it started to get crowded.

    Schloss Spiez is perched amidst vineyards on a peninsula that juts out towards the lake. It was constructed in 933 on the orders of Rudolph II, the King of Burgundy. As it changed hands over the years, bits and pieces were added to the original castle … such as the main tower/keep, which dates back to the 13th century, and which reached its current height of 128 feet in 1600. The residential wings date back to the 13th and 14th centuries. The current appearance of the schloss — which resembles more a patrician residence rather than a castle — is from the period between the 15th to the 18th century.

    Once we purchased our admission, we toured the rooms at our own pace, eventually climbing to the top of the square tower from which we enjoyed expansive views of the town and the vineyards, and Lake Thun.    Read more