Neuhabsburg Castle

Ruins of the Neuhabsburg 1782

Neuhabsburg Castle as seen from Lake Lucerne

Neuhabsburg Castle is a privately owned castle in Meggen in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland , built on the ruins of an older castle . In 1244 the income from the country was granted to the Fraumünster Abbey in Zurich . In 1244/1245 the original castle was built by the Habsburg family on the shores of Lake Lucerne .

The castle was built as a replacement for the old Meggenhorn fortress . It was first used by Rudolf I as a summer residence, then mainly as an administration building for the Habsburg areas of Weggis , Lipperswil , Küssnacht , Immensee , Kehrsiten , Greppen , Udligenswil , Arth and Holzhäusern .

The castle was damaged in 1245 after the excommunication of Frederick II by Pope Innocent IV and by the first council of Lyon . After the foundation of the Swiss Confederation in 1291, the castle was a thorn in their eyes. It was destroyed in 1352 after Lucerne joined the Swiss Confederation.

Only parts of the square main tower , a thick curtain wall and other buildings remain from the original castle .

Today's castle was built in the neo-Gothic style in 1871 and is still privately owned.