Schloss Regensberg

En un regard

Le château en bref

Perched at about 617 m above sea level, at the eastern end of the Lägern ridge north-west of Zurich, Schloss Regensberg closes off the Oberburg, the upper, fortified part of the small town of Regensberg, on its western side. It was founded around the middle of the 13th century by the barons of Regensberg, who established the new town at the same time. Of the original structure, only the large round tower survives: a Bergfried some twenty metres high, with walls nearly three metres thick. The lordship was sold to the Habsburgs; the city of Zurich then took it as a pledge in 1409 and bought it outright in 1417. The castle served as seat of its bailiff until 1798. The residential wing retains a 16th-century roof truss. From 1881 onwards, the Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft des Kantons Zürich (Society for the Public Good of the Canton of Zurich) ran a home there for people with intellectual disabilities, and the Stiftung Schloss Regensberg, which is still active on the site, was established shortly afterwards. Restored in 2009, the tower is open to visitors: it houses a small exhibition on the history of the castle, the town and the foundation, and offers an extensive view over the Zurich Unterland.