They are protected in display cabinets, hang prestigiously on the walls or lie hidden in the depot - the collection objects and historical documents of the Spiez Castle Foundation. The spectrum of objects ranges from engravings, pieces of furniture and porcelain to weapons and armor. There are also books from the historic castle library as well as plans, foundation board minutes and much more. The so-called Surbek-Frey donation, which the Spiez Castle Foundation received from the artist couple Marguerite Frey-Surbek and Victor Surbek in 1964, and the historical library are of particular importance.
The collection inventory and the castle archive form the central basis for all kinds of research and can be consulted for a wide variety of needs, be it for exhibitions, building projects, publications, loans or external inquiries.
The Spiez Castle Foundation has a relatively small collection - historically due to the auction of the castle together with its furnishings and library in 1875. As the Foundation has hardly any funds for acquisitions, most of the objects come from private collections and were bequeathed to the Spiez Castle Foundation as donations. Today, the decision as to whether a donation is included in the collection is based on a scientific collection concept.
The Spiez Castle Foundation observes the guidelines of the ICOM (International Council of Museums) in its collection care and archive work.
Dominik Tomasik, Collection & Archive, sammlung@schloss-spiez.ch
