Wartegg castle and park, Renaissance château in Rorschacherberg, Switzerland.
Wartegg is a Renaissance château with stone walls and symmetrical windows set within a 13-hectare park. The property now operates as a hotel with a restaurant and overlooks Lake Constance.
Caspar Blarer von Wartensee built the castle around 1557/1558 for the Blarer family of Wartensee; a chapel was later suppressed under the Rink von Baldenstein family. In 1706 Fidel von Thurn had a new chapel built southwest of the castle. During the French Revolution the Bombelles family lived here, and in August 1793 Antoine-Éléonor-Léon Le Clerc de Juigné took refuge at Wartegg and in Konstanz. Duchess Louise, regent of Parma, bought the estate in 1860; her granddaughter, former empress Zita, stayed with Karl and their children from 24 March to 20 May 1919. Gustav Mez acquired it in 1929 and made the last major alterations; Christoph and Angelika Mijnssen bought it in 1994 and converted it into a holiday and seminar hotel.
The castle is named after the Blarer von Wartensee family, who built it around 1557/1558; a chapel they added was later removed under the Rink von Baldenstein family. In 1706 Fidel von Thurn had a new chapel built southwest of the castle, the Kapelle Wilen Wartegg. Since 1994 the building has served as a holiday and seminar hotel.
The grounds are accessible during opening hours, and the maintained park invites leisurely walks. Those wanting to eat will find the restaurant on-site, and accommodation is available for longer stays.
The castle's name refers to Wartensee, the Blarer family estate nearby, not to a wart: Caspar Blarer von Wartensee built Wartegg around 1557 as a separate seat. The two castles are often confused, and the chapel Fidel von Thurn added southwest of the house in 1706 still stands as Kapelle Wilen Wartegg.
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