Schloss Wartenfels

© Dietrich Michael Weidmann; © Benediktleander — CC BY-SA 3.0.

A castle wedding above Lostorf

Schloss Wartenfels stands on the Jura hillside above Lostorf in the canton of Solothurn. The historic residence, with its turreted silhouette, French baroque garden and views over the Swiss Plateau, offers spaces for weddings, civil ceremonies, baptisms, birthdays and business events. The foundation has held the castle since 1983; it opened to the public in 1998. A planning restriction matters: the current contact page announces the castle museum and castle bistro temporarily closed until the season starts in May 2027. The self-service workshop bistro and open castle garden are listed Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am–5 pm. The official reservations page continues to accept enquiries. The castle must expressly confirm which private rooms can be used on your date; an empty calendar cell is not a booking commitment.

Glazed hall and drinks receptions

The glazed hall is documented for at most 50 people, corroborated as 50 seated banquet guests. Agree the table layout, dance area, buffet and circulation space together, as a different setup may reduce the usable number. For an aperitif reception in the castle courtyard or hall, the official upper limit is 120 people. This is a separate standing configuration, not a seated banquet capacity. Hall and courtyard figures must not be added together. Confirmed room areas, stage dimensions and a fixed wet-weather fallback for a 120-person reception were not found. Hired rooms are allocated; exclusive use of the entire museum and gardens is not automatic.

Chapel, civil ceremonies and garden photographs

The castle chapel, dating from the 1691/92 building phase, is offered for weddings and baptisms with a published maximum of 45 people. Civil ceremonies are also listed as an available use; agree the location, legal requirements, date and seating with the castle and responsible civil registry office. The chapel’s 45 places are not an established capacity for every civil ceremony room. Separate photography appointments are offered in the French garden and courtyard. Garden spaces include the formal parterre with pavilion, terraces, Fuchsia Courtyard, clipped hornbeam avenue, transition into woodland and Mediterranean-style courtyard. An outdoor ceremony still requires agreement on permission, guest count, seating and a rain alternative.

Catering, kitchen and castle wine

The official catering page allows a free choice of caterer; the castle caretaking team can make recommendations. No particular provider is mandatory. Agree menus, service staff, allergens, vegetarian or vegan dishes and other dietary requirements with the selected caterer; no binding castle wedding menus or per-guest prices are published. The rental rules mention a kitchen, crockery and dishwasher with cleaning obligations. This does not guarantee a fully equipped commercial production kitchen: check the inventory, refrigeration and delivery access first. Wartenfelser castle wine can be purchased, including reds from Cabernet Jura, Regent and Pinot Noir and whites from Seyval Blanc and Johanniter; rosé and barrel-aged wines are also described. Current bottle prices, drinks packages, service, outside drinks and corkage are not reliably specified.

Arrival, accessibility and facilities

The official address is Schlossstrasse 26, 4654 Lostorf, Switzerland; the building point is 47.3906485, 7.9348456. Parking is limited, with no verified space count; car sharing is encouraged. A gravel path of about 300 metres links the car park and castle. Driving and parking within the castle grounds are normally prohibited; guests with impaired mobility may be dropped at the turning area. Suppliers must arrange vehicle access by telephone beforehand. The castle expressly describes its access as not barrier-free, although an accessible toilet is provided. Confirm the routes, steps and rooms your guests can actually use. Bus 507 to Lostorf Dorfplatz is described as an option followed by an approximately 30-minute uphill walk; check the timetable and suitability. Tables and chairs may be moved but must be restored. Wi-Fi, sound systems, projector, a permanent dance floor and hotel rooms are unconfirmed; historic residential rooms do not establish guest accommodation.

Hire prices: historical figures and a current quotation

The currently linked official price list has 2024 in its filename but states April 2014 inside, with prices subject to change. The following CHF amounts are therefore historical guidance, not a confirmed 2026 or 2027 tariff. Hall including furniture, crockery and glasses: CHF 100 per hour, a three-hour or CHF 300 minimum; each additional started hour CHF 100. Aperitif reception: up to 25 people for two hours CHF 150; up to 50 for three hours CHF 300; 51–120 for three hours CHF 500; each additional started hour CHF 100. Chapel for up to 45 people, up to one and a half hours CHF 300. Garden or courtyard photography appointment up to one and a half hours CHF 150. Civil ceremony up to one hour including decoration CHF 150; this does not establish that official registry fees are included. Confirm season, VAT, current validity and every inclusion in a new quotation. No current wedding minimum spend or minimum guest count is published.

Extras and payment terms

The castle currently describes guided visits for at most 15 people: CHF 50 per group plus CHF 5 admission per person; for fewer than ten participants, the flat charge is CHF 100. This is a separate visitor service, not a wedding minimum guest count or menu package; operation during the museum closure requires confirmation. The older tariff sheet lists CHF 50 per hour for special caretaking, parking supervision or exceptional cleaning, charges for broken crockery, and a guided-tour aperitif for 10–15 people up to two hours at CHF 15 per person excluding drinks. Those figures are historical too. It specifies advance payment by agreement and a final post-event invoice payable within 30 days net; present-day payment and cancellation rules, deposit, insurance and taxes must be stated expressly in your contract. Waste disposal is excluded from hire under the 2026 rules.

Timings, handover and house rules

The rental rules dated 30 January 2026 allow two free setup hours before hire starts. Hire ends after proper handover; the event must finish by 1 am. For an event extending beyond 10 pm, handover takes place at 9 am the following morning; this does not grant overnight accommodation or a party until morning. Specific music limits and decibel levels were not found and require agreement. Return rooms swept, restore and clean tables and chairs, wipe the kitchen, wash and put away crockery, turn off the dishwasher and take waste away. The hirer is liable for damage. Organisers are asked to avoid confetti and rice to protect nature; soap bubbles are suggested as an alternative. All fires and sky lanterns are prohibited, with an exception only for outdoor gas barbecues. Indoor smoking is banned. Dogs may enter outdoor areas but not the museum, except assistance dogs.

Contact and a precise enquiry

Foundation contact: info@schloss-wartenfels.ch, telephone +41 62 311 82 98, alternatively +41 62 311 82 99. Official social profiles are Facebook Schloss Wartenfels and Instagram @schloss_wartenfels. Christian Hunziker and Daniela Goll have led the caretaking team since February 2025, assisted by Lilo Wyss. Give your date and alternative, 50-person banquet or 120-person aperitif reception, ceremony type, rooms, children, mobility needs, caterer, drinks, setup and breakdown, deliveries and extras. In particular, obtain confirmation of private use during the museum closure, rain arrangements, inventory, current CHF prices and contract terms. The gallery shows historical exterior views from 2011 and 2008, not current wedding setups.

Photo credits

Lostorf kastelo Wartenfels 212 retouched (cropped) — Dietrich Michael Weidmann — 2011-05-19 — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0. Retouched by Lantus, 10 September 2021; cropped by AnBuKu, 24 February 2023 Resized and converted to WebP; adaptations under the same licence. No endorsement implied.

Schloss Wartenfels bei Lostorf — Benediktleander — 2008-05-05 — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; adaptations under the same licence. No endorsement implied.