1. very attractive
2. so-so
3. blah.

I’d put Schloss Lenzburg (Schloss means castle) in category 2.

It lies on a small hill just above the town of Lenzburg near Zurich. You can have your marriage ceremony both outdoors and indoors, even with an option for both: outdoors, and should the weather turn unfavourable, the option to move inside.

Schloss Lenzburg is quite popular for weddings, so be prepared that your wedding party might not be the only one around. The outdoor ceremony takes place on the Bastion, which is just above the Rose Garden. The indoor ceremonies can take place in one of the large halls.

Schloss Lenzburg from the road below

The path leading up and the entrance gate

The inner courtyard. receptions can be held here

The bastion, prepared for an outdoor wedding

Another view of the bastion

One of the Igloos is used for wedding ceremonies; it has a intimate atmosphere and you will find a number of ice sculptures and roses-in-ice adorning the interior. Other areas include a bar, a dining area, several rooms (yes, you can spend the night in the igloos) and there is even a hot whirlpool.

Outside, you have opportunities to ski, hike and take the next rotating cablecar up to Titlis.

You start the trip from Engelberg, where you park at the Titlisbahn base-station.

More information here.

The 3 igloos from the outside, lower left

The ice altar of the church igloo, where ceremonies take place

The entrance of the church igloo. Note the ice seats and the fur for warmth

The dining area

Part of the bar

Entrance of one of the rooms where you can stay overnight

View of one of the sleeping quarters

All the inside walls are adorned by large mosaics celebrating the family, work and old age.

Note that the covered area is very small, it ends right at the wall behind the columns, so you’re out of luck should there be rain. Ceremonies take place in the uncovered courtyard by the water pool.

The site has a unique atmosphere to it, being rather quiet and peaceful, with the Walensee visible down the steep mountainside as well the mountains on the opposite side of the narrow valley. Looking up are the craggy tops of the Churfirsten range.

Directions: I couldn’t locate a map to the site nor find driving directions from my navigator (Schrina-Hochrugg is a geographic spot, not a town), so I had to ask locally. You start from Walenstadt and head for the restaurant Krone there. Take the small road uphill, it’s called Bergstrasse. The road will get narrower and narrower and at some point cars cannot pass each other, so always make a mental note of the last passing point in case you have to back up. The road is steep as well, so it isn’t something for the faint of heart. You won’t any signs to the Paxmal until you’re fairly near. There is a fork at one point, take the road heading towards the Sanatorium (Ruggstrasse). The last couple of hundred meters is not tarred. There is a small parking lot at the end, although if it’s full you will need to head back to park lower down and hike up.

At the top, where the road ends at the car-park, follow the sign indicating Paxmal and you’ll reach after a 5 minute walk. A spot just next to the top parking lot is used by para-gliders to jump off making the road up busier than what would be caused by the tourists to the Paxmal alone.

Looking in the other direction, the Walensee below and mountains beyond

Left-wall mural – The Family

Mural in the covered area

View down from the top parking lot

The Chufirsten high above the Paxmal

Path leading down to the Paxmal

It says all events must be announced, call the number noted