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Dating back to the 13th century, the castle of Avenches features a renovated Renaissance-style façade, one of the most beautiful testimonies of this type of architecture in Switzerland. Today, the castle accommodates offices, classrooms, a theatre, an art gallery and a library.
Located next door to the arenas, the castle of Avenches dominates the capital of Roman Switzerland. This public and historic building boasts an art gallery and a theatre, an exceptional setting where artists present their works throughout the year. Apart from these halls dedicated to the arts, the castle comprises offices, apartments, classrooms and a library.
The castle of Avenches owes its construction and emblematic keep to the bishops of Lausanne, who, as the town’s suzerains, built the building in the 13th century. The building was renovated in the 15th century and during the Bernese domination. The architects of that era spared the magnificent keep, extended the castle and added a remarkable façade, which is one of the most beautiful examples of Renaissance architecture in Switzerland.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.