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Nine bedrooms and six living rooms and salons: Hilfikon Castle seen from the south side.
Commons/Voayger
Hilfikon Castle, an architectural masterpiece in Aargau, is empty and remains locked up. SRF research shows that the owner is involved in environmental disputes in Canada.
Hilfikon Castle, an impressive building in Aargau's Bünztal valley, has stood empty for years. The Aargau heritage authorities emphasize the historical and architectural significance of the 700-year-old building. But the current owner, Felix Schellenberg, cannot be found. Research by Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) leads to Canada, where Schellenberg is involved in legal disputes.
"It's not just a place that represents history. In terms of the layout, the size, the furnishings, with the stucco work, the 20th-century embossing - it's definitely top league," explains art historian Jonas Kallenbach from the Aargau Monument Preservation Office to SRF, which also shows pictures of the interior.
The castle, which was once inhabited by Louise Schellenberg, has been unused since her death in 2015. Everything is as it was ten years ago. The Hilfikon Castle Foundation, which manages the property, is to rent it out and use the income to educate the Schellenberg family's descendants.
However, according to SRF, Felix Schellenberg, the heir, is involved in environmental disputes in Canada. The Schellenberg family runs a farm near Vancouver. Felix Schellenberg enlarged the pastureland for his cattle there by almost completely filling in a river.
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This intervention allegedly led to legal consequences, as the river was a habitat for protected salmon species. Schellenberg and the construction company involved were sentenced to pay a heavy fine and must restore the river.
The indigenous Tŝilhqot'in, on whose land the river lies, are fighting for the return of their rights. Felix Schellenberg cannot be contacted by his family, which leads to the assumption that he has gone into hiding. As long as this conflict in Canada remains unresolved, Hilfikon Castle will probably remain unused.
The connection between the events in Canada and the fate of the castle in Aargau shows how global entanglements can have local consequences. The baroque castle, a cultural heritage site, remains a ghost castle while its owner in another country is confronted with the consequences of his actions.
Frescoes from the castle chapel
Commons/Josef X Brunner
