It is located on two islands in the River Aabach, just north of the northern end of Lake Hallwil in the municipality of Seengen in the canton of Aargau.

However, the originally free noble family of Hallwyl were first mentioned in a testament from 1167.

During the conquest of Aargau in 1415 by the Swiss Confederation, the castle (which was known after 1369 as the Ganerbenburg) was burnt by the Bernese troops.

Excavations and building research, led by Swedish archaeologist Nils Lithberg, were carried out in 1910–16 on behalf of Wilhelmina von Hallwyl.

[1] The Internet Movie Database lists Schloss Hallwyl as a filming location for Erwin C. Dietrich's comedy, Die Sexabenteuer der drei Musketiere (1971).