Showing 1-16 of 16 results
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Cathédrale de Notre Dame
The Gothic Cathédrale de Notre Dame arguably the finest in Switzerland, stands proudly at heart of the Vieille Ville . Raised in the 12th and 13th centuries on the site of earlier, humbler churches, it lacks the lightness of French Gothic buildings but is remarkable nonetheless. Pope Gregory X, in the presence of Rudolph of Habsburg (the Holy Roman Emperor) and an impressive following of European cardinals and bishops, consecrated the church in 1275.
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Château St Maire
The haughty, turreted Château St Maire is a 15th-century castle that was once the residence of the bishops of Lausanne and now houses government offices.
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Église de St François
Église de St François is a bit of a hybrid today but in the beginning it was part of a 13th-century Franciscan monastery. You can admire some restored frescoes inside. It is hard to imagine that the church and monastery once stood amid peaceful green fields!
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Fondation de l'Hermitage
This charming 19th-century residence constantly hosts high-calibre temporary art exhibitions.
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Hôtel de Ville
City government is housed in the 17th-century Hôtel de Ville .
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Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts
Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts has many works by Swiss and foreign artists. The core of the collection is made up of works by landscape painter, Louis Ducros (1748-1810), and three other locals. The permanent collection is closed during the frequent temporary exhibitions.
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Musée de Design et d'Arts Appliqués Contemporains
A centre of modern design that frequently holds intriguing temporary exhibitions.
Read more about Musée de Design et d'Arts Appliqués Contemporains
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Musée de l'Art Brut
This extraordinary collection at the Musée de l'Art Brut was put together by French artist Jean Dubuffet, opened in 1976 in what was a late 18th-century country mansion.
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Musée de l'Elysée
Worth keeping an eye on if you like photography. It stages temporary expositions that are often excellent.
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Musée Historique de Lausanne
Traces the city's history.
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Musée Olympique
Musée Olympique is surprisingly interesting given that its subject does not elicit universal interest. Housed in a lavish building in the Parc Olympique, atop a tiered landscaped garden, it tells the Olympic story from its inception under Pierre de Coubertin to the most recent competition using videos, archival film (usually including footage of the most recent games), touch-screen computers and memorabilia from the games.
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Musée Romain Lausanne-Vidy
Musée Romain Lausanne-Vidy is housed on the site of a Roman villa and contains a modest collection of ancient artefacts. It often stages temporary expositions.
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Palais de Rumine
The neo-Renaissance Palais de Rumine was built to lord it over Pl de la Riponne in 1904 and, aside from the parliament of the Vaud canton, is home to several museums. This is where the Treaty of Lausanne was signed in 1923, finalising the break-up of the Ottoman Empire after WWI. It contains the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts and a number of other museum collections.
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Palais de Rumine museum collections
These cover natural history, zoology (with the longest - almost 6m - stuffed great white shark on show in the world), geology, coins, archaeology and history. The latter gives an overview of the history of the Vaud canton from the Old Stone Age to modern times.
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Place de la Palud
The name of medieval Place de la Palud suggests that this 9th-century market square was originally bogland. For five centuries it has been home to the city government, now housed in the 17th-century Hôtel de Ville. To get here from the cathedral, a covered timber stairway leads down to Rue Pierre Viret, from where two more stairways lead further downhill, one to the modern Pl de la Riponne and the other to Pl de la Palud.
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Tour de l'Ale
The cylindrical Tour de l'Ale, tucked away at the end of Rue de la Tour, is the only surviving vestige of medieval Lausanne's defensive walls. It was built in 1340 at the extreme western point of the medieval suburb of Ale. That we can admire the tower at all is due to those townspeople who opposed demolition plans in 1903.
Showing 1-16 of 16 results
