Yverdon Castle

The medieval castle in the heart of the old town of Yverdon-les-Bains houses the Museum of Yverdon and Region: a museum of archaeology and history and much more! As a hub for culture, science and tourism in the city centre, the museum preserves, documents and brings to life the cultural heritage of northern Vaud.

The first known “Savoyard square”

The Castle of Yverdon, the first known "Savoyard square" 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 (16th and 18th centuries), it served as the residence of the bailiffs, who adorned certain halls with wonderful paintings, still well conserved.

A castle that reflects the history of the town and region

A national asset since 1798, it welcomed in the beginning of the 19th 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 its territory over almost 8'000 years, it has been the home of a rich history, famous beyond (the Swiss) borders. It also houses the offices of the Documentation and Research Centre, a space dedicated to Yverdon fashion designer Robert Piguet, managed by the Swiss Fashion Museum. Part of the castle cellar is occupied by the Echandole Theatre.

The Museum of Yverdon and Region (MYR) is one of the oldest in the canton of Vaud, dating back to the second half of the 18th century. Its collections retrace the history of the spa town and the surrounding area over more than 8'000 years, from the Mesolithic period to the present day. The MYR is also an information centre for the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.

The museum preserves pieces of national and international importance, such as Gallo-Roman boats and furniture from Yverdon, which testify to the region's craftsmanship, but also of the famous educator Pestalozzi, the industrial boom in the northern Vaud and a centuries-old thermal spa tradition. In addition to regional pieces, the MYR also features Egyptian and ethnographic objects relating to Yverdon residents of the 18th and 19th centuries.