Schlossmuseum Nidau

About the museum

The Nidau Castle Museum opened in 2004 in Nidau Castle and is run by an association financed through membership fees; admission is therefore free. Its theme is the Jura Water Correction (Juragewässerkorrektion), which according to the museum is one of the most important engineering works in Switzerland and laid the foundation for the development of the Three-Lakes Region.

The castle itself was built around 1140 by the Counts of Neuchâtel as a water castle and first mentioned in documents in 1196. When the water corrections (1868–1891) lowered the level of Lake Biel by about two meters, the surroundings of the castle changed, and its moats were filled in. Today the castle is an administrative seat and also houses the museum.

The permanent exhibitions trace the story from the Ice Age and landscape history, through the growing flood risk since the 16th century, to the lowering of the lakes, which turned marshland into arable land and revealed prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements. Another exhibition is devoted to the "Retter des Seelandes" (Savior of the Seeland), Dr. Johann Rudolf Schneider, and a third to visions for the Seeland region, up to climate change.

Highlights

• Three permanent exhibitions on the Jura Water Correction
• Exhibition on Dr. Johann Rudolf Schneider, the "Savior of the Seeland"
• Visions for the Seeland: plans and projects from the Middle Ages to climate change
• In Nidau Castle, a 12th-century water castle
• Free admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Die Juragewässerkorrektion – der rote Faden – An introduction to the causes and history of the two Jura Water Corrections that transformed the Seeland.
• Dr. Johann Rudolf Schneider – Portrait of the "Savior of the Seeland," who campaigned for thirty years for water regulation and flood protection.
• Visionen Seeland – Plans and visions for the region from the Middle Ages to today, covering urban development, transport, industry and climate change.

Founded

2004

Operated by

Verein Schlossmuseum Nidau

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free; the museum is financed through membership fees.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Sale of books about the region; 10% discount for members.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit