Once the Rougemont family's summer residence, and later a museum belonging to the city of Thun, this castle was renovated in 2019 with only the additions needed to operate as a hotel. Much of its interior remains as it was more than 170 years ago.
Records of Schadau Castle go back to the fourteenth century, but the present building was commissioned as a summer residence by the Rougemont banking family. The French architect Pierre-Charles Dusillion is credited with a role in its design.
A historicist building combining Tudor Gothic and Neo-Renaissance styles, it is said to have been inspired by the châteaux of the Loire Valley. The decorative roofline and towers suggest a Renaissance château reimagined as a small lakeside retreat.
About an hour from Interlaken by train and taxi, Schadau Castle stands where Lake Thun meets the River Aare. Beyond our balcony, the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau were all in view.
Renovating with Care
Schadau Castle is listed as a cultural property of national importance. Switzerland's cultural-property protection system, KGS (Kulturgüterschutz), distinguishes categories A, B and C; Schadau Castle, KGS 01265, is in the highest, category A. Walking along an old corridor, opening an original door, crossing a creaking wooden floor and looking out over Lake Thun through a window that still bears the marks of its time: staying here offers an experience quite different from looking around a historic building.
The renovation from 2017 to 2019 was an effort to make that experience possible. Restaurant and guest-room facilities were added while retaining as much of the interior decoration as possible. A study of the building during the work reportedly confirmed that much of the original interior, including windows, doors, woodwork and flooring, had survived.
The Spiral Staircase
The sandstone spiral staircase in the entrance hall is attributed to the Dutch sculptor Joseph Hubert Verbunt. The finely carved balustrade, leaf-shaped capitals and small ornaments continuing across the walls and ceiling give the interior its elegance. A lift has been installed beside the stairs for hotel guests. Necessary though it is, comparing it with the balanced beauty of a photograph taken before the renovation does leave a little regret.
The Castle Corridors
Up the spiral staircase from the ground-floor lounges and salons, the corridors and rooms on the guest floors still feel as though they belong to a lived-in house.
There is an amusing irony in the corridor walls. They are plaster made to look like marble; at the time, the skill involved in this decorative craft was itself a mark of distinction. The official history booklet explains that around 1850, real marble would have been considerably cheaper.
Deluxe Room Lake View
Our family booked two Deluxe Room Lake View rooms and stayed for three days. The two terraces gave a welcome sense of openness. Room 5 was particularly memorable for its warm wood interior, while Room 15, in the same category, felt cosy with its Victorian-style floral wallpaper.
A Breeze Through the Curtains
A gentle breeze brushing the bathroom curtains, and European sunshine. Looking out of the window, I watched boats from Thun's landing stage pass quietly in front of the castle, leaving small ripples across the lake.
A former room was converted into a bathroom for the hotel, with the existing walls and decoration retained as far as possible. The resulting space is not always convenient to use, but that inconvenience becomes part of the charm of staying in an old castle.
Old Details That Remain
The wooden shutters inside the windows still have their old catches. The room doors, too, seem largely preserved, with only the handles and locks refurbished. The herringbone parquet is said to be the original flooring from more than 170 years ago.
An Evening with the Mosquitoes
With no insect screens, the mosquitoes enjoy an all-access pass. For all their noise, I was not bitten much. Along with the sloping, creaking floors, these small inconveniences are part of the charm. The building's protected status also means that some everyday room amenities, such as a kettle, are absent. Do bring slippers.
A Reassuringly Solid Key
After the Storchen Zürich and Hotel Goldener Hirsch in Salzburg, I am beginning to think European boutique hotels favour keys heavy enough to double as self-defence equipment when you go out. One explanation is that they survive from the days when hotels wanted guests to leave their keys at reception. Either way, the moment you pick one up, you can feel that you are staying somewhere with a history.
Breakfast at Schadau Castle
A compact but satisfying breakfast. Reservations for non-resident guests begin at 08:30, while hotel guests can eat an hour earlier, from 07:30. With breakfast open to visitors as well as hotel guests, the tables soon filled with local diners. The handwritten reservation book at reception was packed, too.
Dinner at Schadau
The castle restaurant was busy all day with a full reservation book. When I asked for a sweet wine at dinner, they recommended a German one whose name I do not know. Editing these photographs is making me hungry. There are rather a lot of food photographs.
The Main Courses
Roasted sea bream fillet with tarragon velouté, potatoes and summer vegetables. Beef sirloin tagliata with risotto, rocket and Parmesan. A miniature crème brûlée for dessert. Along with the Storchen Zürich, a place I would recommend for a good meal in Switzerland.
Schadau Park
The inscription on the elevation marker in Schadau Park reads: “560.8 m above sea level. Dedicated to lovers of the Alps by the Blümlisalp, Thun section of the Swiss Alpine Club, in the year of peace, 1945.” And yet we go on fighting wars.
Early Morning
Mist over Lake Thun, and the morning sun.
- Room
- Deluxe Room Lake View
CHF 2,023, 3 adults, 2 rooms, 2 nights - Dinner
- 3 adults, à la carte
CHF 203 - Check-in/out
- 15:00-22:00
Check-out by 11:00 - Breakfast
- Hotel guests from 07:30
Non-resident guests by reservation, 08:30-11:00