Yverdon-les-Bains Castle

Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland

The imposing main walls and their four towers of Yverdon-les-Bains castle follow the geometric characteristics used for lowland castles. It was planned out between 1260-1270 by the young mason and architect James of St. George. He would later travel to England where he would become the master castle builder for King Edward I. James would be responsible for building a series of castles (known as the 'Iron Ring') in North Wales following its conquest by the English Crown.

Yverdon's castle used to be the residence of the castellans of the Savoy dynasty, until 1536, followed by the bailiffs of Bern state. In 1798, the Département du Léman became the castle's owner. The Département had been set up by the short-lived Helvetic Republic (1798–1803), imposed by Napoleon I.

A few years later, Yverdon acquired the castle, to entrust it to Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and his institute. After 1838, the castle housed a public school. New classrooms were created, especially on the second floor: dividing walls were erected, additional windows changed the severe look of the castle's façade. After 1950, these classrooms were gradually abandoned; the last classes left in 1974. The original medieval structure was then restored. The castle is today a multi-purpose cultural centre, housing a regional museum, a theatre, various conference rooms and the oldest public library of French-speaking Switzerland, founded already in 1763. The library is now part of the castle museum, existing since 1830.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1260-1270
Category: Castles and fortifications in Switzerland

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Francois Rodigari (2 years ago)
A great museum and public place. The Castle is in a state of constant renovation and struggles to find a balance between its defensive origins and the later renovations made by the Bernese occupant. Overall a wonderful historical monument on Yverdon's main square.
Jiayi Wu (2 years ago)
Amazing, especially with the surrounding old town look.
Simon Gättelin (2 years ago)
The wonderful castle in Yverdon can be reached in just 5 minutes on foot from the train station. You can quickly see the four large corner towers. There is a good audioquide (E/D) in the castle. This also serves as a local museum for the municipality of Yverdon and also as a museum for Pestallozi
Petra Drašković (2 years ago)
Medieval castle with exhibition space inside. We visited it during Alternatyv festival and we had a blast. The cellars have stone walls and you can really imagine the life they havr witnessed 500 years ago. The castle is placed within the pedestrian area of this charming town of Yverdon les Bains and worth a visit.
Alexandra P (3 years ago)
TENT EXPERIENCE: Clean, kind personal, close to the lake, good price,good view, a lot of utilities as cooker, showers etc.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Sé Catedral (Cathedral of Lisbon)

The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major, often called Lisbon Cathedral or simply the Sé, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal. The oldest church in the city, it is the seat of the Patriarchate of Lisbon. The cathedral has survived many earthquakes and has been modified, renovated and restored several times. It is nowadays a mix of different architectural styles. 

The site where it stands was the principal mosque of Lisbon when it was an Arab settlement. The construction of the cathedral started around 1150, three years after the city was conquered from the Moors during the Second Crusade. Shortly after the victory the English knight Gilbert of Hastings was named bishop of the city of Lisbon.

One good reason to visit the Cathedral is to visit its charming cloisters located in the back. There are several tombs in the cathedral, the most notable of which is the beautifully sculpted tomb of Lopo Fernandes Pacheco and his wife.