Schwarzenburg Castle, 16th-century castle in Schwarzenburg, Switzerland

Schwarzenburg Castle is a three-story rectangular building with a half-hipped roof and a polygonal staircase tower on the eaves side. An enclosed courtyard with two corner turrets, now only symbolic of defensiveness, stands before the main facade and links the house to a gatehouse and granary. The main entrance moved to the north side in the 18th century.

Grasburg Castle, remote and costly to maintain, was sold in 1423 by the Counts of Savoy to Bern and Fribourg, who ruled the Grasburg lordship jointly. In 1573–1575 they built Schwarzenburg Castle in the village as a comfortable residence for their governor, a Bernese and a Fribourg appointee alternating. After the French invasion of 1798 the former condominium passed to Bern alone, and the castle remained the district's administrative centre until the district was dissolved in 2010.

The name comes from the village of Schwarzenburg, not from a founding family; the castle was built for the governor of the Grasburg district, appointed alternately by Bern and Fribourg. Since 2010 it has been owned by the Stiftung Schloss Schwarzenburg and is used for art exhibitions and can be rented for celebrations and meetings.

The castle is open to the public during art exhibitions and special events that run throughout the year. It's helpful to check ahead since visiting hours vary depending on the current program and activities.

The building preserves its original coffered ceilings from 1575, making them a rare example of this craftsmanship from the Renaissance period. The north entrance features a Louis XVI-style decoration with an obelisk fountain, adding a later French elegance that stands out against the older structure.