Aubonne Castle

Aubonne Castle in Aubonne, Switzerland, is a medieval fortification first recorded before 1197, when it is described as a turris, meaning a tower, and was established by the region’s medieval lords. Built during the high Middle Ages, the site developed from that early strongpoint into a citadel and later into a fully fortified castle, playing a central role in the local feudal landscape across several centuries.

During the 12th and 13th centuries the castle belonged initially to the lords of Aubonne and then passed through the hands of the counts of Savoy. At the start of the 1200s the property was split into a lordship and a co-lordship, a division that helps explain the presence of both a large rectangular tower and a second, circular tower set on a square base. Ownership continued to change over the later medieval period, moving to the family of Grandson and subsequently to the counts of Gruyère, reflecting the shifting feudal alliances of the region between the 12th and 17th centuries.

In 1670 the château entered new hands when Jean-Baptiste Tavernier acquired it. Between 1674 and 1676 he commissioned a major rebuilding of the facades that face the inner courtyard, including the addition of a monumental portico supported by sixteen columns. From 1677 Tavernier rebuilt the upper half of the castle’s principal tower. A local legend says he undertook that work so the tower would recall the buildings of the Orient, where he had spent many years. Tavernier kept the property for nearly thirty years before selling it to Henri Duquesne.

The authorities of Bern bought the castle in 1701 and established a bailiff there, giving the site an administrative role under Bernese rule. After the political changes of 1798 the castle became property of the State of Vaud, and beginning in 1835 ownership passed to the municipality of Aubonne. The town carried out an extensive renovation that lasted eight years and was completed in 1988. The castle is listed as Swiss cultural property of national significance and today accommodates a secondary school and several public rooms.