Switzerland · Still standing
Neu-Habsburg Castle
Neuhabsburg Castle (Schloss Neuhabsburg) is a privately owned Gothic Revival castle on the shore of Lake Lucerne at Meggen, Switzerland, built in 1871 on the site of an older Habsburg stronghold. The present building stands on a wooded rocky promontory above a boathouse and retains a prominent crenellated main tower, ring wall fragments and several attached wings. It remains in private ownership and is visible from the lake.
Its prime
1871
Today
Still standing
As it stood in 1871
The shape it held in its prime.
Perched on a wooded rocky promontory above Lake Lucerne, the 1871 Gothic Revival castle presents a pale ash‑stone façade with a tall square main tower topped by crenellations, a smaller round turret, and a thick ring wall partially encircling the site. The right-hand wing ends in a steep stepped gable with multiple mullioned windows and chimneys; a terrace and low glazed conservatory sit along the inner slope. A small boathouse nestles at the waterline below the trees.
Its story
The story of Neu-Habsburg Castle.
The original castle at Meggen was built in 1244/5 by the Habsburg family on the shore of Lake Lucerne, possibly to replace the old Meggenhorn fort; in 1244 the income from the land had been granted to the Fraumünster Abbey in Zurich. While it may have been the summer home of Rudolph I, it mostly served as the administration building for a small Habsburg department covering Weggis, Küssnacht, Immensee and neighbouring villages.
The castle was damaged in 1245, following the excommunication of Frederick II by Pope Innocent IV at the Council of Lyon. After the creation of the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1291 it stood as an obstacle to the new Confederation, but it was not destroyed until 1352, after Lucerne had joined the original Forest Cantons. Of the original castle only portions of the square main tower, a thick ring wall and several other buildings remain.
The current castle was built on the ruins in 1871 in Gothic Revival style, on a wooded rocky promontory above a boathouse, with a prominent crenellated main tower. It remains privately owned and is visible from the lake.
Step inside
7 places to explore in 1871.
The record describes 7 distinct spots at Neu-Habsburg Castle — including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Neu-Habsburg Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1871 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →Whose castle
Clans who held Neu-Habsburg Castle.
The families that held Neu-Habsburg Castle for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
Habsburg
Built by the Habsburgs in 1244/5 and held as an administrative seat until its destruction in 1352.
