Driving from Zurich to Basel we had stops at a couple of castles along the way.  Hugh plans most of our trips and does a fantastic job finding interesting places to investigate on our drives.

We have been in Europe numerous times in April and May (as soon as tax season ends).  I love seeing the rapeseeds fields in bloom.  I have photographed them numerous times.  One time in a short flight from London to Germany I was able to photograph the fields from the air.  The yellow is so brilliant next to the green of spring.

Our first stop was at the Habsburg Castle.  It is a medieval fortress dating back to the early 12th century. Some portions of the original castle still stand, although much of it has been rebuilt over the centuries. This Castle was the original seat of the House of Habsburg, also called the House of Austria. The throne was continuously occupied by the Habsburgs from 1438 until their extinction of the male line in 1740.  The successor of the  male line was the descendent of a daughter, the name was then changed to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, later referred to as the House of Habsburg with ruled until 1918.

After World War I, the House of Habsburg opposed the National Socialism and Communism.  They lead strong resistance movement against the Nazis during World War II , even as members of the family was persecuted by the Nazis and Gestapo.  The family still exists today.

Unfortunately the castle was closed when we were there.  But we took some time to shoot photos of the outside.

We drove on to a second castle and found that one open. The Schloss Lenzburg was built by the Counts of Lenzburg as their seat in the 11th century. In the twelve century the Castle was owned by the Habsburgs as the Lenzburg line died out.

The castle had numerous residents hands it was sold to the a foundation in 1956 allowing the castle to be open to the public. There have been ongoing renovations of the castle throughout the centuries.

The castle now houses the Aargau Museum.

 Hugh and I had a good time going through all of the castle and museum, photographing as we went.

Scholss Lenzburg