Dottenwil Castle, Medieval castle in Wittenbach, Switzerland.
Dottenwil Castle sits on a hill roughly 1.5 kilometers north of Wittenbach, with corner towers and views across Lake Constance to the Alpstein mountains. The structure combines medieval foundations with later expansions that created a fortified appearance.
Peter Graf built the castle in 1543, and merchant Konrad Atzenholz added corner towers at the end of the 16th century that shaped its present form. These changes transformed the original structure into a more fortified building.
The castle functions as a community-run space where volunteers shape its daily life through exhibitions and gatherings. Visitors experience not just the building itself, but the energy of a place that remains active and engaged with contemporary creative work.
Entry is free and requires no advance planning to visit. The hilltop location makes the site easy to reach on foot, and visitors can spend time exploring both the building and its surrounding views at their own pace.
The castle includes its own vineyard, managed seasonally in spring and autumn, which shows the historical link between the site and farming traditions. This working area remains part of the visitor experience, connecting the past to everyday rural activity.
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