This section contains an overview of the most relevant monuments in Switzerland.
29 November 2019
The Rhine waterfall (Rheinfall) in Neuhausen (Canton of Schaffhausen) was once called “Grosses Lauffen.” The castle (Schloss Laufen) still bears this name and was first mentioned in 858. The castle was the ancestral seat of the Lords of Laufen, but it had many owners over the centuries, including the Bishop of Constance, the All Saints’ … Read more » “Laufen Castle and Schlössli Wörth at the Rhine waterfall”
30 August 2019
La Collégiale of Neuchâtel is a medieval monument. The construction of the church began around 1190. A new construction phase included the building of the monastery, the extension of the nave, the west portal and the St Michael’s Chapel. The church was inaugurated in 1276. The southern tower was built around 1300, and the second … Read more » “La Collégiale of Neuchâtel”
28 August 2019
Le Locle was first mentioned in a document in 1151 as the property of the seigneurs of Valangin and subsequently, the Counts of Neuchâtel. The heydays came in the nineteenth century with the development of the watch industry. The Town Hall symbolises this small city’s prosperity, cosmopolitanism and grandeur. The world is the market for … Read more » “Le Locle, its Town Hall and the Watch Industry”
2 August 2019
The Monastery of All Saints (Aller Heiligen) was founded in 1581 by the Capuchin Order. The monastery was the first settlement of the Capuchins north of the Alps in 1581, followed by the establishment of monasteries in the Catholic cantons of Unterwalden, Schwyz, Lucerne, Solothurn, and Appenzell, in response to the Reformation. The Capuchins stayed … Read more » “Cultural Monastery Altdorf”
2 August 2019
The history of the castle goes back to the Von Jegistorf family. The name first appears in 1175. The Bernese families Von Erlach, Von Bonstetten and Von Wattenwyl were the new owners after the fourteenth century. They rebuilt the castle in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. A foundation now owns the castle. The castle was the headquarters … Read more » “Imperial Residence Jegenstorf”
14 July 2019
Vaud (also known as pagus Waldensis in Latin and Pays de Vaud in French) has been a strategic location since Roman times, situated at the crossroads of major roads connecting northern and southern Europe. Vaud was part of the ‘first’ kingdom of Burgundy (443-543) after the fall of the Roman Empire, then it came under Merovingian … Read more » “The Savoyard Castles”
14 July 2019
The church (Saint-Jean-Baptiste) is a jewel of Romanesque art and is a national monument. The architecture showcases the various phases of construction and transformation spanning nine centuries. The Romanesque structure, along with its beautiful sculptures and frescoes, remains intact. The Benedictine monastery was handed over to the monks of the Chaise-Dieu (Auvergne) in 1178. The … Read more » “John the Baptist Church Grandson”
11 July 2019
Orbe is an ancient Roman city, situated on the road that connected Italy with Gaul via the Great Saint-Bernard Pass. The Roman villa in Boscéaz/Orbe has nine mosaics of exceptional quality. A permanent exhibition presents the entire villa. The kings of Burgundy (443-534), the Merovingian kings (534-751), the Carolingians (751-888), and the Burgundian kings (888-1032) met … Read more » “The Notre-Dame of Orbe”
8 July 2019
The village Champvent (canton of Vaud) was first mentioned in 1011 during the reign of Rudolph III (970-1032), the last king of the Burgundian Kingdom (888-1032). The castle is a typical ‘Carré Savoyard’, a quadrangular structure with high walls, flanked by round towers at each corner, and built in the thirteenth century. Similar castles still … Read more » “Champvent Castle”
13 June 2019
The temple of Bevaix (Le Temple de Bevaix) was built in 1605 and 1606. The remains of the ancient Benedictine abbey of Bevaix, which was built in 998, were used as building materials. The monastery had fallen into disrepair after the Reformation around 1530. The Romanesque vaults and some windows of the tower and other … Read more » “The Temple of Bevaix”
