Ouchy Castle

Ouchy Castle
	Ouchy Castle, view from the harbor (2005)
Alternative name (s):	Château d'Ouchy
Creation time :	around 1170
Castle type :	Niederungsburg , conversion to a castle
Conservation status:	Receive
Standing position :	Bishop of Lausanne
Construction:	Cuboid
Place:	Ouchy (Lausanne)
Geographical location	46 ° 30 '24.3 " N , 6 ° 37' 38.9" E Coordinates: 46 ° 30 '24.3 " N , 6 ° 37' 38.9" E ; CH1903: 537739 / one hundred and fifty thousand nine hundred twenty-six
Height:	376 m above sea level M.

The ruins after the fire of 1609

Ouchy around 1784, drawing by Jean-Benjamin de La Borde

Ouchy Castle was built around 1170 and is located on the territory of the Swiss city of Lausanne in the Ouchy district , right on the shores of Lake Geneva .

history

Landrich von Dornach (Landri de Durnes) , Bishop of Lausanne from 1159 to 1179 , is considered to be the builder of a residential tower on what was then the river called Ouchy. Around the year 1207 the tower was destroyed by Count Thomas de Maurienne, only to be erected again shortly afterwards by Bishop Roger I of Vico Pisano (1177-1212). The bishop's house of Ouchy has been mentioned since 1273, and from 1283 a castle ( castrum ) as an episcopal residence.

William of Varax (Guillaume V. de Varax), bishop from 1462 to 1466, had his residence in Ouchy. Around 1445, the residents of the neighboring communities of Aran , Chatagny and Grandvaux were obliged to work on the expansion of the fortifications and in return were able to find shelter in the castle complex. After the Bernese conquered the Vaud region during the Reformation in 1536, the castle was used as a prison for the occupiers. In 1609 the central tower caught fire and the fortifications were largely destroyed by arson.

In 1885, the canton of Vaud sold the partially restored castle property to Jean-Jacques Mercier, who had the ruins demolished from 1885 to 1888 - with the exception of the tower, which was modernized - to be used as a neo-Gothic castle and hotel from 1889 to 1893 in the current state of construction by the architect Francis Isoz to be rebuilt again.

On July 24, 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne was concluded here in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) , which revised the resolutions of Sèvres (1920) partially in favor of Turkey , founded three months later , with the population exchange between Greece and Turkey and the current borders of Turkey and Greece have been established.

investment

Around the year 1283, the residential tower , the structure of which has largely been preserved to this day, was probably expanded into a fortified castle complex with a circular wall and economic buildings. At the beginning of the 14th century, the great hall (aula) in the palas and tower is mentioned, which gave the fortification its name at that time - Tower of Ouchy or Tower on the bank . The expansion of the castle is attributed to Bishop Guillaume II. De Champvent (1274–1302), who probably also renewed the episcopal summer residence in Lucens Castle , and whose brother rebuilt the stately Champvent Castle , from which Ouchy took over the appearance. Wilhelm von Varax probably continued to expand the castle during his reign (1462–1468), which also included the bishop's prison.

After the catastrophic fire of 1609, the facility was rebuilt, but increasingly fell into disrepair and became a quarry. The central tower was preserved and served as a warehouse until 1761. In 1686, new buildings were erected within the curtain wall, and two years later, Bern allowed the residents to operate a large furnace on the eastern side. In 1693 it is reported that blackberries grew in the former large hall. In the 18th century the existing buildings of the palace complex were renewed and additional structures were erected. With the total renovation in the years 1885 to 1893, the complex got its present appearance.