- Gruyères Castle
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Le château de Gruyères, as seen from behind
The Castle of Gruyères (in French: château de Gruyères), located in the medieval town of Gruyères, Fribourg, is one of the most famous in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.[1]
History
The building was built between 1270 and 1282, following the typical square plan of the fortifications in Savoy. It was the property of the Counts of Gruyères until the bankruptcy of the Count Michel in 1554. His creditors the cantons of Fribourg and Bern shared his earldom. From 1555 to 1798 the castle became residence to the bailiffs and then to the prefects sent by Fribourg. In 1849 the castle was sold to the Bovy and Balland families, who used the castle as their summer residency and restored it. The castle was then bought back by the canton of Fribourg in 1938, made into a museum and opened to the public. Since 1993, a foundation ensures the conservation as well as the highlighting of the building and the art collection. The chateaux is home to the HR Giger museum.
The castle is the home of three capes of the Order of the Golden Fleece. They were part of the war booty captured by the Swiss Confederates (which included troops from Gruyères) at the Battle of Morat against Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in 1476. As Charles the Bold was celebrating the anniversary of his fathers death, one of the capes is a black velvet sacerdotal vestment with Philip the Good's emblem sewn into it.
The French garden behind the château
The castle of GruyèresReferences
- ^ "Kantonsliste A-Objekte" (in German). KGS Inventar. Federal Office of Civil Protection. 2009. http://www.bevoelkerungsschutz.admin.ch/internet/bs/de/home/themen/kgs/kgs_inventar/a-objekte.html. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- Gremaud, Henri; Fleury, Gilbert; Chatton, Etienne; Château de Gruyères, Villars-sur-Glâne : G. Fleury, 1991, OCLC 79931005
- Guadalupi, Gianni; Castles of the world, New York : Barnes & Noble 2006. OCLC 123995819
- Guex, François; Le château de Gruyères, Fribourg Service des Biens Culturels 2005. OCLC 180968172
External links
Barberêche · Baillival (Bulle) · Baillival (Corbières) · Baillival (Vuippens) · Baillival (Surpierre) · Bossonnens · Castella · Chenaux · De Diesbach · Griset de Forel · Gruyères · Löwenberg · Mézières · Murten · Poya · Romont · Rue · Saint-Germain · Vaulruz · Grand-Vivy · Petit-Vivy
Castles of the Canton of Fribourg · Castles of Switzerland · Castles of Europe
Coordinates: 46°35′05″N 7°05′02″E / 46.584818°N 7.083988°E
Categories:- Castles in Switzerland
- Canton of Fribourg
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