Castle of Yverdon

The Castle of Yverdon, the first known ”carré savoyard” defence building, is a lowland military fortress financed by Peter Count of Savoy in 1259, and planned out by the architects John and James of Saint Georges, known as Master James. Located in the centre of today's city of Yverdon-les-Bains, the castle has undergone many transformations over the centuries. During the Bernese period (16^th and 18^th centuries), it served as the residence of the bailiffs, who adorned certain halls with wonderful paintings, still well conserved. A national asset since 1798, it welcomed in the beginning of the 19^th century, the well known pedagogue Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and his «  Institut pour jeunes gens et futurs enseignants », an educational institute for children and future teachers. Subsequently, the castle also housed primary and middle school classes until 1974.

Centrepiece of the Museum of Yverdon and its Region, that it houses since 1915 in order to retrace the city and it's territory over almost 8'000 years, it has been the home of a rich history, famous beyond (the Swiss) borders.

The castle is currently home of the Pestalozzi Research and Documentation Centre, the temporary exhibitions of the Swiss Museum of Fashion, as well as the Echandole Theatre, housed in some parts of the cellars. 

The Museum of Yverdon and its Region

The Museum of Yverdon and its region is one of the oldest museums in the canton of Vaud, dating  back to the second half of the 18^th century. In addition to an important regional archeology collection, the Museum of Yverdon and its region also conserves several thousands of objects illustrating the cultural and artistic history of Yverdon and its surrounding area. For the most part, these objects are pictures, as well as items of everyday use and handcrafted and industrially produced objects. The Museum and its Castle, can be seen as the repository of the material memory of the Yverdon region. The mission of the Museum of Yverdon and its region is to communicate and to make  this extensive heritage accessible to the public, by means of exhibitions, publications and educational activities. At last, it is also a research and documentation centre for researchers, students, school children and any other interested person asking for the permission to access.

Themed guided tours

The Museum of Yverdon and its region offers several themed guided tours, which allows to bring the collections and the castle in to life, for example ;

• In tenebris lux. Night-time tour by torchlight. A unique way to experience the museum's collections and to explore the different halls of the castle along with archeologists and historians.
• The surprising places of the Yverdon Castle. Discover the out of ordinary, remarkable or simply unknown places in the castle, outside the regular visiting itineraries.

Children's workshops

In order to bring history to life in an original manner, we offer workshops for children throughout the year. 

Bringing history to life

Collaborations with the city's and the region's different cultural actors, amongst them the association Les 18èmes d'Yverdon et Région, bring back the past inside the historical walls. Hence, in November 2019, on the occasion of the re-enactment of the 4^th of September 1775 elections played in the historical town hall, a Bernese bailiff could be seen guiding visitors through the rooms of his castle.

A meeting and exchange place

The castle and the museum also serve as a setting for different cultural events, conferences or meetings. The exquisite aula magna or the more intimate Léon Michaud hall can be rented for the occasion.