Amthaus, Former Cistercian nunnery and bailiwick castle in Fraubrunnen, Switzerland

The Amthaus in Fraubrunnen is a former Cistercian nunnery, now a Baroque castle-like building on a medieval monastic core. Only two wings survive, joined in an angled hook shape after the church and east wing were demolished in 1535. The walls retain early Gothic windows, medieval brickwork and roof trusses, with 17th- and 18th-century fittings inside.

The monastery was founded in 1246 by Counts Hartmann of Kyburg as a convent for women from prominent families and wealthy burgher households. After the Protestant Reformation in 1528, the convent was dissolved and its buildings converted for secular purposes.

The building served for centuries as a home for women from prominent regional families who lived and worked together as a community. These residents shaped village life through their daily activities and made the place a center of communal living.

The building is located on Bernstrasse and can be viewed from outside to appreciate its medieval architecture and stone walls. Visitors should note that it is a protected cultural monument and access may be limited to the exterior.

After the French invasion of 1798, the former monastery was converted into an administrative center for Fraubrunnen district. Traces of a prison facility from 1823 remain visible in the buildings and remind visitors of this transformation period.