Schloss Wartegg

Most Famous Residents/Guests: Charles I & Zita, Last Emperors of Austria.

The family friendly & pet friendly, Schloss Wartegg/Wartegg Castle Hotel has comfortable accommodation in a lovely setting by the shores of Lake Constance in North Eastern Switzerland.

The castle dates back to 1558 and was the birthplace of Zita, the last Empress of Austria & Queen of Hungary, in the 19th century but was extensively renovated in the 1990s.

The passage of time had resulted in quite a bit of structural damage and so much of the historical fabric was lost during the renovations. This means that the hotel, including the rooms, now looks quite modern internally, which is something of a pity, but it still does retain a certain historical feel.

There is a quality organic restaurant at Schloss Wartegg, a luxurious spa, a fun playground for the kids and 32 acres of English gardens and trees, with woodland paths leading down to the lake.

ACCOMMODATION:

They have 25 rooms and suites at the hotel, from small singles to large family rooms to sleep up to four in two separate sleeping quarters, and junior suites which have a small lounge area.

The rooms are modern and come with such modern features as Hüsler Nest mattresses, ipod dock sound systems and individual WiFi routers for example, and their style is something akin to a Swiss Chalet, minimalist and clean with lots of pale wood.

PRICES:

Check out all the details – prices, reviews and more photos – on the booking page here.

FACILITIES & THINGS TO DO:

Schloss Wartegg’s Restaurant is well regarded in this part of Switzerland and serves great fresh food with seasonal, gourmet lunch and dinner menus. The food is organic with some of the ingredients coming fresh from the hotel’s own kitchen garden. The accommodation is all B&B and their organic breakfast buffet is a rich and varied feast.

There is a cosy, wellness area at Schloss Wartegg with historical Turkish baths dating from 1928, and a sauna and steam room, with massage therapies also available.

The grounds are lovely to wander around with landscaped gardens dating back to 1860 and woodland leading down to the lake. Children will be well taken care of at Schloss Wartegg too with a playground, a playroom and plenty of activities to do.

Lake Constance is a popular place to visit especially in Summer and Schloss Wartegg sits right beside it. You can swim in the waters and arrange boats trips and all sorts of water sports just minutes from the hotel.

LOCATION:

The castle sits by the shores of the lovely Lake Constance, near the borders with both Austria and Germany, and St. Gallen, which has a very pretty old town section, 8th century era abbey and an 18th century UNESCO listed cathedral. It is an hour by car or by train from Zürich and a half an hour by train or about 45 minutes by car from Konstanz, Germany.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

The castle was built around 1558 by Kaspar Blarer von Wartensee, Bailiff of Arbon. During the time of the French Revolution it was in the hands of the Bombelles, a family of French aristocrats who had close connections with King Louis XVI. Angélique de Bombelles had extensive correspondence with Madame Elisabeth de France, the sister of King Louis XVI in the times leading up to the revolution while Monseigneur Leclerc de Juigné, Archbishop of Paris, escaped and found sanctuary in Schloss Wartegg.

In 1822 it passed into the possession of the Swiss, Thurn family, then in 1860 was bought by Louise von Bourbon-Parma, Duchess and Regent of Parma, and it was she who organized the landscaping of the grounds and the building of the English gardens.

Her granddaughter Zita, born in 1892, would become the wife of Charles, the last Emperor & King of Austro-Hungarian Empire, and so become herself the last Empress & Queen when the empire folded in 1919. Herself and her husband then spent many months at Wartegg recuperating from this traumatic event before moving on.

In 1924 the Bourbon family sold the castle and it changed hands numerous times followed by a period of relative dereliction until 1994 when it was bought by Christoph and Angelika Mijnssen and converted into the hotel we see today.

REVIEWS:

“Everything is great. Beautiful setting, great park, walking distance to the lake, nice food. Wonderful for small kids as they have an amazing playroom!…”

“Fantastic place, real castle in beautiful part with 5 mins walk to the lake. The restaurant serves delicious food. Idea to use separate wi-fi units for each room is perfect, it’s our first experience with such Wi-Fi solution and my respect to the owner regarding this. Terrace in the garden with deck-chairs is very nice. All in all, everything is perfectly arranged at the hotel and it’s a very beautiful historical place to stay….”

>> CLICK HERE TO READ MORE REVIEWS & TO CHOOSE YOUR ROOM OR SUITE AT SCHLOSS WARTEGG:

Location Category:

Castles in Switzerland