I've been planning to get back to writing for a long time, but I just cannot get myself to actually do it. I wish I had the drive of those who manage to post at least a few times each week. I'm happy when my working day is over, and I don't need to look in a screen anymore. No excuses though, I will have to work on my discipline as I truly enjoy writing and sharing my experiences 馃檪
For today, I have chosen a spot that we visited by a coincidence. How by coincidence you might ask? Well, we were driving around and saw the sign. We followed the sign and there it was!
Castle Hegi is located in the city of Winterthur, and I would never expect such a historical gem to be built in that spot. I'm used to visiting castles that are surrounded by forests, on top of hills, or close to some source of water, but this castle is built in the middle of a residential area with neither of those 'prerequisites'.
At first, we thought that it was a private property which wouldn't be so unusual in Switzerland, but it's owned by the city and available to public at certain times. Lucky us, it was open when we were there. We had to wait for an hour or so as we came too early but it was no problem because the weather was nice and there is an outdoor cafe/restaurant where we were able to get some drinks.
I also find it interesting to mention that the city of Winterthur acquired the castle in 1947 for CHF 358'000 - not a bad price for a castle 馃檪 I wonder how much they would pay today knowing the property prices in Switzerland now.
Let me take your around the castle and its garden before going inside first..
The castle is a Swiss heritage site of national significance and you can see from outside that it is well taken care of. It's well preserved and maintained.
There is a huge vegetable garden that belongs to the castle. I must admit that this was the most interesting part for me. Those who know me a bit better know that I love gardening and any sort of plants in general.
I have learned that the vegetables grown here were usually sold at the local Saturday market but because of a current huge demand the customers must order them in advance as the quantity is limited. I was ashamed to admit that I have seen how some of the vegetables grow for the first time, such as fennel. I thought that it was sort of a root 馃檪
The garden is a paradise for bees. Many sorts of flowers are planted only for them. But we can still enjoy how picturesque they are.
I fell in love with this place, but honestly who wouldn't? It gives you peace and calms your mind, you find yourself enjoying the moment and forgetting about any issues that you have. I could have stayed there all afternoon!
Yes, this is how fennel grows 馃檪
The castle is beautiful from any of its angles. Once we enjoyed the garden, we moved to the cafe which was full of life. We were surprised as we were the only ones in the garden but in the cafe there were many people drinking, eating and chatting. We thought that they were waiting for the tour but it turned out that they lived close by and come here for lunch on a regular basis.
Among the drinks you can find craft beer, local wine or fermented beverages. We ordered some sort of local ginger kombucha and got it served in these beautiful traditional glasses. What a great way to start our tour!
Let's go inside!
The tour starts in the courtyard where you can see the development of the castle. The oldest part of the castle is its central tower which was built around 1200 by the Lords of Hegi. Around 1500 the castle was enlarged by the BoldLords of Hohenlandenberg**. Its influential owners changed several times over the centuries.
The castle tower is decorated with colorful coats of arms belonging to its former owners.
The interior of the castle is nicely decorated. It looks genuine but don't let it fool you. There is no furniture that would be original, all pieces are replicas.
These traditional oven makes me think of ceramics that is made in Slovakia with its typical pattern and blue color. It also reminds me of Dutch Delfh pottery.
In the original plans of the castle there is a huge kitchen but it was not restored, so the museum built a kitchen based on the plans for visitors to see how it may have looked in the past.
There is a lot of wooden furniture with delicate carvings. This gives rooms feeling of coziness and warmth. However, it was quite cold inside as the walls are 1.6 m thick, so even though it was about 30 degrees Celsius outside, the castle keeps its temperature throughout the year with some decrease during winters.
Our group consisted of me, my husband, one guy and his son, so we had our tour guide only for ourselves. The little guy was so fascinated and kept asking questions all the time. Our guide was friendly and tried to answer them all even though some of them were quite funny and his dad kept apologizing for them.
As in every castle, there is a small chapel here as well. Its stained glass windows show various historical events as well as coat of arms of the owners. They are dating back to the 19th century.
A little replica of the castle:
After climbing the staircase to reach the top of the tower we have noticed this detail on the floor. There was a print of a baby foot and various animals. Do you know which animal print is on the right?
Last but not least! In the past, it was crucial to have equipment in case of fire as large parts of castles were from wood and fire could be devastating. Castle Hegi was prepared as well, and these items were prepared to be used. If they were ever used? I couldn't say..
It feels so good that I pushed myself to write and that I have finished this tour! I hope you have liked it.
Thank you for joining me.
Martina