The old-world town of Yverdon, capital of northern Vaud and a well-known health resort, lies at the southwest end of the Lac de Neuchâtel. From ancient times this has been an important traffic junction.
Yverdon-les-Bains occupies the site of the Roman camp of Eburodunum. Traces of the earliest inhabitants were found when the inland waters of the Jura sank in the flood plain of the Orbe in the 19th C. According to the most recent excavations, the first settlements built on piles are dated to about 2800 BC At the beginning of the fifth C. Burgundians invaded the area. In the 13th C. the Dukes of Savoy built the massive castle in which the famous educationalist Pestalozzi ran his school from 1805 to 1826.
The Musée de l'Habillement, opened in 1982, exhibits in contemporary setting several thousand handmade articles of clothing and accessories from 1850 to the present day.
Near the Yverdon Castle, in the Maison d'Ailleurs, the Science Fiction Museum, originating from the collection of Pierre Versin, encompasses the whole gamut of Utopian fantasy, ranging from books to magazines, comics, pictures, games, video-tapes and films.
In the "Place" (the main square) stands the Yverdon Hôtel de Ville (town hall), built 1769-1773 by AD Burnand, and on the west side of the square the parish church (1755-1757), designed by the Geneva architect J. M. Billon. The curved gable end of the facade has as its decoration an allegory of faith. The choir-stalls (1499-1502) by C. Chapius and B. Bottolier are of considerable merit. Outside the church stands a monument to Pestalozzi by A. Lanz (1889).
A medieval fortress in the 11th-14th C, this historically important building offers the public a look at its permanent collection of weapons, artillery and armor as well as a vintage car museum featuring Greta Garbo's Rolls Royce.
Address: Château de Grandson, place Château, CH-1422 Grandson, Switzerland
From Estavayer-le-Lac the road turns southeast and comes to Payerne, where the Benedictine abbey is one of the major Romanesque buildings in the country.
The great Château Chenaux was originally a foundation by the Savoyards (13th C.). It was partly destroyed in the 15th C. and re-erected after the Burgundian wars, later being restored and rebuilt on several occasions.
About 7km/4mi southeast of Yverdon in the village of Ursins is the medieval church of St Nicolas, built on the foundations of a second century Roman temple.
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Grandson - Church of St-Jean-Baptiste
