Blankenburg Castle

Zweisimmen, Switzerland

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Blankenburg Castle is a historic fortress and former administrative center in the municipality of Zweisimmen, Canton of Bern, Switzerland, first documented in 1329 under the Freiherren von Weissenburg.

It passed through noble families like the Lords of Tüdingen and Düdingen before Bern conquered the Simmental valley in 1386, installing a bailiff there to oversee the upper Simmen region until the district's dissolution in 2009.

A major fire in 1767 destroyed much of the medieval structure, leading to a rebuild by Niklaus Hebler into an L-shaped baroque building with a prominent double staircase resembling Bern's Town Hall, surrounded by gardens and a horse barn.

Today, the castle stands as a cultural landmark at 979 meters elevation, recently repurposed for events, weddings, and community use after cantonal sale.