My Swiss Brick Trip Switzerland

Bellinzona · walls on Roman foundations; towers 13th–15th century

Castelgrande

The shelf › Bellinzona › Castelgrande

Brick-built model of the Castelgrande on its display stand Castelgrande, BellinzonaBELLINZONA

My Swiss Brick Trip · Bellinzona

Castelgrande

Castelgrande sits on a rock of gneiss about 40 metres above Bellinzona's old town. People lived on this rock as early as the 4th millennium BC, and the Romans built a fort here.

Where
Bellinzona
Built
walls on Roman foundations; towers 13th–15th century
Pieces
700 (59 different parts), display stand included
Difficulty
Intermediate · about 3 hours
On your shelf
26.2 × 27.2 cm, 15 cm tall
Bricks cost
≈ CHF 89 for new parts, plus shipping (rough estimate, 7 October 2026; BrickLink prices vary)

Exchange rates of 6 October 2026 (European Central Bank)

Download the booklet (PDF, 10.4 MB) Nameplate stickers (PDF)
Buy the bricks ↓
Coming soon: printed at cost, no margin

A little history

In the 15th century the Dukes of Milan, the Visconti and then the Sforza, made Bellinzona one of the strongest fortresses of the Alps, against the Swiss Confederates coming from the north. The walls carry the typical swallowtail merlons.

Its two towers, the Torre Bianca and the Torre Nera, stand almost 30 metres high. Together with Montebello and Sasso Corbaro, Castelgrande has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

The booklet opens with the full story: key dates, what to look for and where to find it.

Two sizes

Display edition of the Castelgrande

Display

700 pieces · ≈ CHF 89

The full model with its surroundings on the standard display stand, with the history pages in the booklet.

Buy the bricks ↓

Look inside the booklet

A few pages from the free PDF. Tap a page to open the booklet there.

Visiting the Castelgrande

Address
Castelgrande, Salita al Castelgrande 18, 6500 Bellinzona
Getting there
About ten minutes on foot from Bellinzona station; take the lift from the Piazzetta della Valle or walk up the ramps.
Insider tip
Climb the Torre Bianca for the view over the walls to Montebello and Sasso Corbaro on the hillside opposite.

All around

Castelgrande model, hero view
Hero view
Castelgrande model, front left
Front left
Castelgrande model, front right
Front right
Castelgrande model, back left
Back left
Castelgrande model, back right
Back right
Castelgrande model, front
Front

Also in a package

CastlesTheme package

2 sets · 1494 pieces · ≈ CHF 189

Château de Chillon on Lake Geneva and the three castles of Bellinzona.
BellinzonaCity package

1 set · 700 pieces · ≈ CHF 89

Castelgrande on its rock, with the Torre Bianca, the Torre Nera and the swallowtail walls.

Buy the bricks

≈ CHF 89 for new parts, plus shipping (rough estimate, 7 October 2026; BrickLink prices vary) · 700 pieces in 59 lots

1 · Download Wanted List (XML) 2 · Open BrickLink upload page ↗ Parts list (CSV)

  1. Upload

    Log in to BrickLink (free account). On the upload page, choose the file (or paste the copied list), select Create New Wanted List, name it “Castelgrande”, click Proceed, then Add to Wanted List.

  2. Let BrickLink pick the shops

    Open the list and click Buy All. Use Auto-select, set your country (e.g. Switzerland or Europe) and untick shops whose minimum order you won't reach. Fewer shops means less shipping.

  3. Check out

    BrickLink creates one cart per shop. Check the totals, then pay each shop. Parts usually arrive within one to two weeks.

Prefer Brick Owl? Its Wishlist → Import accepts the same file (set condition to “New”). The CSV lists LDraw and BrickLink part numbers side by side for any other shop. More in the FAQ.