Sobre este lugar
Rising at the very top of the Cité, the Château Saint-Maire is the highest and most powerful building in medieval Lausanne. It was raised between 1397 and about 1430 by the bishops of Lausanne, who were not only churchmen but temporal lords ruling the city and its lands. The lower half is built of grey sandstone, while the upper storeys switch to warm red brick capped with Italian-style crenellations, a rare and striking combination probably designed by masters brought over the Alps from the Aosta Valley. For more than a century it served as the bishops' fortified residence, until the Bernese conquest of 1536 swept the bishop away and turned the castle into an arsenal. Since the creation of the Canton of Vaud in 1803 it has been the seat of the cantonal government, making these old walls the beating heart of Vaudois power for over six hundred years. The esplanade in front, laid out in 1845, opens onto a sweeping view over the rooftops toward the cathedral and the distant lake.
Datos clave
- 1397 year — Construction of the bishops' fortress began, finishing around 1430
- 1536 year — Bern seized Lausanne and the last bishop fled down a hidden stairwell
- 1803 year — The castle became the seat of the Canton of Vaud government, a role it still holds
📍 Place du Château 4, 1005, Lausanne