The Castle

Since 1914, the Musée d’Yverdon et région has been housed in the original medieval castle located in the heart of the old town of Yverdon-les-bains

The first known “Savoyard square”, this owland military fortress was commissioned in 1259 by Pierre de Savoie to the architects Jean and Jacques de Saint-Georges. During the Bernese period (16th-18th centuries), the castle was used as a residence for the bailiffs, who decorated certain rooms with rich paintings that are still preserved. The castle became a national property in 1798 and at the beginning of the 19th century, it hosted the famous pedagogue Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and his Institute for young people and future teachers.

Since the 1950s, the building has been the object of intense restoration campaigns to recover its 15th and 16th century appearance, with the essential support of the Association pour la restauration du château d’Yverdon (ARCHY). From 2021, a new stage of the work will be aimed at refurblishment the towers and the eastern façade.

From the vaulted cellars to the panorama of the keep, the castle is one of the jewels in the crown of the Musée d’Yverdon et région. Certain elements of the building are in an exceptional state of preservation, such as the 15th and 16th century roofing, the large medieval tower or the Bernese painted decorations, immortalized by Sarah Carp, elected photographer of the year by the Swiss Press Award 2021.

The castle also houses the Centre de Documentation et de Recherche Pestalozzi, a space of the Musée suisse de la Mode, the cellars of L’Echandole as well as rented rooms (Aula Magna and Léon Michaud) managed by the Service de la culture.

In 2021, major summer cultural events will take place within the walls of the castle : Le Castrum, Numerik Games, Yverdon Open Air