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Historical Site Historical Site · Luzern - Vierwaldstättersee · 476 m

Sarnen witch tower

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Obwalden Tourismus Verified partner 
  • Witches' tower in Sarnen
    Witches' tower in Sarnen
    Photo: Obwalden Tourismus, Obwalden Tourismus

Today's Sarnen archive tower is one of the few remaining castle towers from the time of the formation of the Swiss Confederation.

It was built shortly before 1291 and came into the possession of the state of Obwalden around 1308 after being captured without violence. It then served as a prison, interrogation chamber, treasury tower, archive and museum. During the restoration in 1985/86, the changes made over the centuries were reversed, with the exception of the 18th century structure, which was left in place and is shown as a later intervention. The installation of a light, self-supporting steel skeleton construction allowed the new use as an archive tower without affecting the preserved original structure.

Coordinates

SwissGrid
2'661'344E 1'194'167N
DD
46.895788, 8.243644
DMS
46°53'44.8"N 8°14'37.1"E
UTM
32T 442385 5193861
w3w 
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Get there by train, car, bike, or on foot!

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Parts of this content were machine translated from German.

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Sarnen witch tower

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