En un regard
Le château en bref
The ruin of Freudenau lies in Untersiggenthal (Aargau), in the lower Aare valley near the confluence of the Limmat, the Reuss and the Aare, at a crossroads of roads and waterways. According to the Kantonsarchäologie Aargau, the castle was built in the first half of the 13th century. The tower was a fief of the Counts of Habsburg, while the other buildings were under the authority of the Säckingen convent. The site was inhabited by noble servants of the Habsburgs: probably a branch of the Habsburg cupbearers, then the lords zum Tor and Albrecht Businger. A bridge over the Aare passed near the castle in the second half of the 13th century; numerous cellars suggest a transhipment point. After the bridge was destroyed, the castle lost its importance. Sources differ as to its destruction by the Zurichers (1351 or around 1410). In 1465 the Stilli ferry company acquired the ruin. The leaning tower was partially blown up with dynamite in 1853. A cultural property of national importance, the site was excavated and consolidated in 1970–1971 and again from 1976 to 1982; it is freely accessible.