Swiss Castles Day at Thun Castle: A Journey Through the Middle Ages

Pilgrims, merchants, artisans, and envoys: Travel was a far more common part of everyday life in the Middle Ages than is often assumed today. On Castle Day, Thun Castle will explore how people traveled back then—along arduous routes, to markets, pilgrimage sites, inns, and trading centers. Medieval historian Anthony Bale will shed light on various facets of medieval mobility in two lectures: the journeys and adventures of medieval travelers, as well as the unique experiences of women on the road. In addition, a short guided hike invites participants to experience a stretch of a medieval route for themselves.

Group 1: 9:00–11:30 a.m. Hike · 1:00 p.m. Lecture “Journeys and Adventures,” followed by a book signing
Group 2: 11:00 a.m. Lecture “Women Travelers,” followed by a book signing · 1:30–4:00 p.m. Hike
All-day (10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.): “For the Sake of Honor”—the trail through the Knights’ Hall will open on this day

The lectures will be held in English. The lecture and the hike can be attended separately. For more information and to register: https://schlossthun.ch/veranstaltungen/schloessertag-2026

The trail is included in the museum admission and is freely accessible during opening hours. It will remain in place at least until the end of October—find out here if it will stay longer.

Swiss Castles Day is the most important event organized by the Association of Swiss Castles and takes place annually on the first Sunday in October. On this day, numerous castles and fortresses across all three language regions of Switzerland open their doors and offer a varied program for a broad audience, especially families. Each year, Swiss Castles Day has a special theme. For more information, visit www.dieschweizerschloesser.ch or https://schlossthun.ch/veranstaltungen/schloessertag-2026


Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.