Museum forest Price Entrance free Location The museum forest is located above the playground near Wildegg Castle. 0 Forest use in the 18th and early 19th centuries The museum forest at Wildegg Castle shows how forests were used in the 18th and early 19th centuries: as a larder, source of wood, grazing land and hunting ground. At the heart of the museum forest is the wood pasture. In early and late summer, goats graze here, just as they did 200 years ago. Guided tours and workshops bring this historical use of the forest to life and shed light on the highly topical issues of biodiversity and
Permanent exhibition Admission Museum entrance fee Take a journey through the history of knowledge and belief At the Observatory, take a journey through the history of knowledge and belief in a cinematic installation. Together with a group of pupils from Wettingen Cantonal School, you will visit places that tell this story: from the earliest known cave paintings to the vastness of the World Wide Web. On this journey, you will discover how the monks of the Cistercian abbey understood knowledge in the Middle Ages – and how the expulsion of the monks from the abbey in 1841 was linked to new concepts
Admission Free of charge Tradition of monastic healing Today, medicinal herbs, spices, flowers and also certain vegetables grow in the medicinal garden of Wettingen Abbey. The garden showcases the long tradition of monastic medicine. The original location and design of the medicinal garden are not known in detail. It is assumed that, as in comparable abbey complexes, the Wettingen garden was located by the infirmary wing. The garden has been reconstructed at this location, based on the Hortulus book on gardening by the Reichenau abbot Walahfrid Strabo and the St. Gallen abbey plan from the 9th
Admission Museum entrance fee Idyllic garden in the heart of the abbey complex Experience a special monastic atmosphere in the cloister garden of Wettingen Abbey: the idyllic garden with its meadow, yew tree, water basin and path is located within the abbey walls and surrounded by the cloister quadrangle. Throughout the ages, the cloister garden was designed as a spiritual garden with a central solitary tree. In monastic culture, the tree is reminiscent of the forbidden tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. On the other hand, it stands for life, as a symbol of Christ and the cross. Today's
Admission Free of charge English park, kitchen garden and plane tree avenue Discover secluded spots in the convent garden of Wettingen Abbey and stroll through the historic kitchen garden. A walk through the avenue, with its 200-year-old plane trees, is unforgettable. The convent garden – one of the first landscape gardens in Switzerland – extends from the abbey over three terraces down to the Limmat river. Fruit trees, a vineyard, a vegetable garden and a grotto invite you to stay a while. English park On the top terrace is the landscape garden designed according to the English model. The park is
Permanent exhibition Admission Entrance free 0 Stately summer residence The stately abbot's house is situated to the south-west of the abbey, near the river Limmat. You can reach it by walking from the north through the front garden, which has been laid out in the traditional style. Built in 1726 by Abbot Alberich Beusch, the abbot's house served as a summer residence for him and his successors and as a place to receive guests. On the upper floor of the abbot's house, you'll find yourself in a charming living and study area, furnished with period pieces. An animated film projected onto the panelled
Admission Free of charge Stately summer residence of the head of the abbey Stroll through the abbot's garden at Wettingen Abbey, and imagine how the abbot once received his guests here. The garden extends over three terraces. Stone steps, walls, perennial beds and trellises give the "Gnädig-Herren-Garten" (as it is also called in Wettingen sources) a Mediterranean flair. The abbot's garden (or prelate's garden) was moved several times in the history of the abbey. At one time it was even located on the small island in the Limmat, until it was laid out at its present location as the garden of
Wildegg Castle
Living history museum and ancestral portrait gallery
Permanent exhibition Admission Museum entrance fee Former castle residents are waiting to chat with visitors! Wildegg Castle is the castle of talking portraits: in the ancestral portrait gallery and the living history museum, former castle residents are waiting to chat with visitors. They include Julie von Effinger, the last owner of Wildegg Castle, who recounts anecdotes from her everyday life. Throughout the castle, large portraits of the von Effinger family come to life and tell of the past in a lively and entertaining way. An impressive living history museum With its more than 30 beautifully
Rose garden Admission Entrance free A major attraction for rose lovers The rose garden of Wildegg Castle is a major attraction for rose lovers. Numerous historical roses with rose arches, as well as English roses and hybrid tea roses, can be found here. Laid out in around 1830 it's a magnificent sight, especially during the main flowering period in June, replete with carefully tended, historical and rare roses. For weddings, the rose garden is a popular backdrop for photo shoots. It's also the perfect place to sit on a bench and read a gripping detective story. The small park near the historic
Permanent exhibition Price Museum/garden admission 0 Nine interactive stations about viticulture The Wildegg Castle vineyard trail tells the story of the hard but rewarding work of winegrowers in centuries past. At nine interactive stations, built from old wine barrels, visitors discover the challenges of winegrowing: from tending the vines in winter to the dangers posed by weather, pests and diseases, right through to the grape harvest in autumn. Special attention is paid to the Effinger family, who used viticulture as their economic basis for centuries. Rebpfad Schoss Wildegg: Ausstellung
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Habsburg Castle
Ancestral Seat of a Global Dynasty
The foundation stone of what was to become the Habsburg dynasty was laid at Habsburg Castle in around 1030. Exhibitions, guided tours and events present the history of the legendary castle and its noble family.
WINTER OPENING HOURS
From November 2026 to March 2027, the museum of Habsburg Castle will only be open during the opening hours of the castle restaurant (winter closure).
