Möriken-Wildegg, Aargau
THE LOWDOWN
Right, first stop on this little 2026 castle-crawl and it’s a good one. Wildegg was built by the Habsburgs in the first half of the 13th century, first popping up in the records in 1242, as part of their border defences with a sister-castle called Brunegg just down the road. But the real story here isn’t the Habsburgs — it’s the Effinger family, who owned this place for eleven generations, right up until 1912.
ROUND THE CASTLE
A beautifully preserved castle and well fitted it really transporting me back in time. I especially loved the entrance hall and the views.
After a fire, the castle got rebuilt in Baroque style in the 17th century and today it’s set up almost exactly as it looked around 1800, with over 30 authentic living and working rooms still kitted out with the original furniture. What makes it different from the other Aargau castles is the garden — a proper 3,300 square metre spread of rare heirloom plants, historical rose varieties and vegetable beds, tended for centuries by generations of Effinger women. There’s a lovely full-circle moment too: from the wedding room you get an uninterrupted view straight across to Lenzburg Castle, which basically means the Effingers built themselves a castle with a permanent view of their in-laws.
THE LITTLE TITBIT
Wildegg bills itself as the only ‘talking’ castle in Switzerland — former residents appear in video portraits scattered through the rooms and tell you, in their own words, all their little secrets from centuries gone by. So you can literally get gossip straight from the ghosts themselves, no séance required.
Butterflies and Flat Tyres 