Author: Maarten Koning

The Notre-Dame of Orbe

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 in the town for important meetings.

The castle was enlarged in the 11th century by Rudolf III (970-1032). The Lords of Montfaucon and Châlon completed the construction with walls, gates and four towers, two of which are still there today. The castle was destroyed in 1475.

The 11th-century church Notre-Dame was by fire in the 15th century and reconstructed in 1525. The six churches and chapels were destroyed in the Reformation. The Notre Dame was spared, however.

Guillaume Farel (1498-1565) and Pierre Viret (1511-1571) proclaimed the Reformation in this church.

(Source and further information: www.orbe-tourisme.ch).

Val-de-Travers

The Val-de-Travers region in the canton of Neuchâtel offers spectacular panoramic views and hiking trails.

The Jura mountains show a real Jurassic impression of the period that bears its name (the period between 200-150 million years ago).

Among the many natural attractions are the Areuse canyon, the canyon of Poëta-Raisse, the Creux du Van, meadows and forests.

Champvent Castle

The village Champvent (canton of Vaud) was first mentioned in 1011 during the reign of Rudolf III (970-1032), the last king of tge The castle is a typical ‘Carré Savoyard’, quadrangular with high walls, flanked by round towers on 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 soon afterwards restored. The castle is a national heritage site nowadays.

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