Hindelbank Castle

Hindelbank Castle is a castle in the municipality of Hindelbank of the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. It was sold to the canton in 1866 and later became a workhouse and a prison. Currently, it is the administration building of the only women's prison in Switzerland.

Hindelbank Castle was built in 1720-25 for Schultheiss Hieronymus von Erlach by Daniel Stürler (1674-1746) based on plans from the French architect Joseph Abeille. The floor plan was based on Thunstetten Castle which Abeille had designed for von Erlach in 1711. The castle remained in the Erlach family until 1866 when Robert von Erlach sold the castle to the Canton of Bern and the surrounding land to a private buyer. Under the canton's ownership, the castle became a workhouse for poor women, until 1896 when it became a women's reformatory. It was extensively renovated in 1962-66 and again in 1996. After the first renovation it became the administrative center for Switzerland's only women's prison, a role that it still fulfills today.

The imposing castle was built with a north facing cour d'honneur or three-sided courtyard with a two-story corps de logis topped with a steep hipped roof. The façade of the central building features two rows of seven symmetrical windows and doors.

Text adapted from “Hindelbank Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Hindelbank Castle ranks #6,648 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #165 of the 200 mapped in Switzerland. Founded 1725, it is older than 20% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 525 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. 20 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Bern, 12 km away. See how Switzerland compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗