Champvent Castle

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 exist in Yverdon-les-Bains, Grandson and Morges.

The Lords of Champvent and Grandson and the Counts of Neuchâtel were among the owners. A local family was the owner at the time of the Burgundian wars (1474-1477) and an ally of the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold.

The castle was destroyed by confederal troops in 1476, but it was soon restored afterwards. The castle is now a national heritage site.

(Source: C. Dey, Champvent. L’histoire de ses 1 000 ans, Morges, 2011).