This will be my last blog post for a while from Switzerland. In about 36 hours, I will find myself in Florida. Julie’s parents are going through a rough time in regards to health right now, and I will be heading to US to provide some assistance. Julie and I talked about this before we made the decision to move. In fact, one of the things that helped make the decision was the health of our parents; well as we are learning, when you get close to 80 years old all bets are off. So please keep Julie’s parents, and Julie, in your thoughts and prayers over the coming weeks.
Last weekend we took another day trip to the city of Lenzburg. Lenzburg is the home to Schloss Lenzburg, or for you English Speakers Lenzburg Castle.
Historians do not know for sure when Schloss Lenzburg was built. The earliest mention of the castle was in a document from 1077! For the next couple of hundred years, the castle was passed around between the Catholic Church, and the Counts of Kyburg. The Kyburg family was a noble family in Germany and the German portions of Switzerland in the 12 and 13 centuries. The Kyburg family was one of the four noble families in modern day Germany and Switzerland. Around 1340 the last Count of Kyburg died without an heir. His daughter married into the Habsburg family. (That name should be familar to many of you.) The Hapsburgs greatly expanded the castle, and used it as the residence of many of their liegemen.
From 1444 until 1798, the castle was the home for the Bernese bailiff for that area. A bailiff was the `person in charge of an area of land. They reported to the monarch. So although the bailiff was not a “royal” position, a bailiff had a lot of responsibility. In the mid 1800’s the castle passed to private hands. The castle remained in private hands until 1925. Interesting side note. The last “owner” of the castle was an American named Lincoln Ellsworth. The castle sat empty for the next couple of decades, and in the late 50’s the Canton of Aargau acquired the castle, refurbished it, and opened it to the public. So that concludes your two paragraph history lesson for the day!
I hope you enjoy the pictures, and the next time you hear from me, will be from Ft Myers, Florida!
Our thoughts are with you for this return to the US.
Take care of yourself.
Keeping you, Julie, and Julie’s parents in our thoughts and prayers! You are a good man, George!