The route starts in Teufenthal, near Trostburg Castle.
Trostburg Castle
The castle was the ancestral seat of the Trostburg knights, who served the Habsburgs among others. It was probably built at the end of the 12th century.
The Bernese bear on the facade of the castle is a reminder of the time when the Bernese drove the Habsburgs out of the Aargau and took control of the area. And this took place in the 15th century.
What the castle looks like today is thanks to its previous owners, who lived there for more than 17 years and constantly carried out comprehensive renovations.
At the moment, the castle is not open to the public. However, the owners have changed this year and perhaps in the future the gates will open to those interested in the history of the place.
Liebegg Castle
A little further on stands the small Liebegg Castle with its Witch Museum (Hexenmuseum). Over the centuries it has passed into the possession of various aristocratic families, and since 1948 it has belonged to the canton of Aargau. Cultural events and conferences are organised on the castle grounds.
A mysterious place in the middle of the forest
Continuing through the dense forest, you reach the sand caves (Sandsteinhöhle).
In the 19th century, sandstone was quarried here and used, among other things, to build houses, churches and the nearby Liebegg Castle.
Of course, everything was quarried by hand and transported by horses and oxen.
Today it is a popular destination for school and family trips.
After such an exciting start, it was time for a rather long walk of around ten kilometres through forests, meadows and nearby villages.
Lenzburg Castle
The route ends in Lenzburg, where one of the oldest and most important castles in Switzerland stands on a 508-metre-high hill. The castle is named after the counts of Lenzburg, who probably built their ancestral seat on the hill in the early 11th century.
Legend of the hill dragon
Legend has it that a dragon once lived in a cave on the Schlossberg mountain, which caused fear among the inhabitants. Eventually, the dragon was killed by two knights, Wolfram and Guntram, and the grateful peasants elected them Counts of Lenzburg. The heroes then settled on this hilltop.
From 1273 onwards, the castle belonged for a time to the Habsburg family. But, as with Trostburg Castle, it was taken over by the Bernese in the 15th century. From then on, Lenzburg Castle served as the seat of the bailiffs for more than three and a half centuries.
Later on, the owners of the castle changed several more times. In 1956, a foundation supported by the canton of Aargau and the town of Lenzburg bought the castle from the widow of American aviator and polar explorer Lincoln Ellsworth and opened it to the public.
The castle grounds include a museum, a garden and a restaurant.
Be warned that the road to the castle leads uphill. But this is the last ascent on this route. The road continues through the old town to the railway station in Lenzburg.
