The city of Orbe

22 October 2021

The first human settlements on the Boscéaz plateau date back to the Neolithic period (fourth millennium BCE). The area was inhabited by the Celts from 800 BC onwards.

In Roman times, Urbe (Orbe, canton of Vaud) was a town on the road connecting Lausanne and Besançon. A large villa stood at Boscéaz near the Roman road connecting Orbe with Yverdon. Its mosaics are among the best preserved in Switzerland.

Orbe was destroyed by German tribes at the end of the 4th century. In the Middle Ages, Orbe belonged successively to the Counts of Burgundy, the Lords of Montfaucon, Montbéliard and Chalon.

The castle was destroyed during the Burgundian Wars (1474-1477). Only the donjon and a tower remained.  From 1536 to 1798, the city was governed by Bern. The church, la Grande Eglise or the Notre Dame, became protestant in 1536 and still dominates the skyline.

(Source: www.orbe.ch).