iCyclades - Cyclades Discovery Guide

At the end of the 13th century, Estavayer had no less than three castles, but only the Castle of Chenaux, built in 1285, has been completely preserved. Our stroll goes through it to reach the other side on Chemin du Donjon (Dungeon's Way), which goes up towards Gate of Grandcour.

At the foot of the Tower of Jacquemard, a door opens up which will allow us to enter the castle. This tower, as well as the west tower to the left of it, were built around 1440, after the central dungeon which we will see further.

We cross the old covered walkway that connects the Jacquemard Tower to the 13th century keep over the beautiful castle gardens.

We walk along the impressive ivy-covered keep. Our view here is directed towards the Tower of Jacquemard, to the south of the castle.

In the depths of the castle, we are facing the door that leads to the inner courtyard. On our left is the passageway to the Jacquemard Tower and behind us a large door leads to the Donjon path.

As in many other Swiss towns, the castle is occupied by various administrations. So you won't be able to visit much, but the walk is still worthwhile for its mysterious evocations of a bygone era.

Chemin du Donjon (Dungeon's Way) runs along what remains of the city wall to the east of the town between the Gate of Grandcour (near which it is possible to park) and the Castle of Chenaux.

Between the collegiate church of Saint-Laurent and the arcades that line it on the other side of the small row of trees, the entirely paved Church Square is not without charm.

Under the arcades of the church square are some old vaults which are obviously still in use. They add a touch of mystery to the square!

On our right is the main door of the collegiate church. Two other doors are located on the other side of the church, on St-Laurent Street.

On the west side of the Collegiate Church of St-Laurent there are two entrances which are not always open. To visit the church, it is best to go through the main door on the other side.

The Frog Museum is unique in the world. Its highlight is a collection of 108 naturalised frogs dressed and staged in often comical situations. They date from the mid-19th century and the mystery of their creation has never been solved. They were apparently made by a former officer in the Vatican who wanted to reproduce scenes from everyday life in Estavayer at that time.

Estavayer was founded around the 12th-13th century, but the Gate of Grandcour (also called Gate of the Camus) dates back to the construction of the town walls in 1440 to protect the new district of La Bâtiaz.

A view to Gate of Grandcour from Rue du Camus, inside the city. It is much less impressive from this angle!

We are here at the entrance of the passage under the arcades which runs along Place de l'Eglise. It leads to Ruelle des Arcades, at the other end of the square, and we will perhaps show it to you one day, after another series of shots in Estavayer.

At the end of the street you can see the tower of the Gate of the Dominican Sisters, which closes off the medieval town and once controlled access from the Payerne road.

There are some beautiful old buildings along the Main Street, although some modern buildings are bad taste. There are also estaminets that look very nice!

Our view here is towards Place de l'Eglise, where the collegiate church of St. Laurent stands. Behind us, the main street leads to the Gate of the Dominican Sisters and, on the right, Rue du Musée leads to the Frog Museum

At the end of the street stands the tower of the Dominican Sisters' Gate, which watches over the road to Payerne. The Dominican Convent, which is on the right-hand side of the street, was founded in 1316 and is still in operation.

Here we are in front of the eastern city walls and the Grandcour Gate, so named because it is on the road to this Vaudois village located between Estavayer and Lake Murten. Estavayer-le-Lac is a territory of the canton of Fribourg, completely enclosed within the canton of Vaud, if we disregard the lake border with the canton of Neuchâtel.

Here we turn our backs on Rue du Four and Rue du Camus. To the left of the fountain, Route de la Chapelle leads southwards. We turn right into Rue du Musée, which leads to the town centre.

The name of this street has nothing to do with the writer Albert Camus. The inhabitants themselves know nothing about it and all that is known is that around 1430, a certain Camus and his son owned a house located near the gate...

The cobbled street leading to the town centre from the Gate of Grandcour is lined with renovated old houses and relatively recent buildings, which form a rather harmonious whole.

We are here at the end of Rue du Camus and our view is directed towards Gate of Grandcour which we can see in the distance. To the left, Rue du Four leads down to Place Saint-Claude and its view of the lake. On the right, a little further on, there is Rue du Musée which joins Grand-Rue (Main Street).

Rue du Château runs along the line of the old city walls but there is not much to see, the area is largely taken up by parking spaces.

In front of us, the Castle of Chenaux rises above Lake Neuchâtel, with the Jura mountains in the background. On our left, Ruelle de la Batiaz runs through Rue des Granges before ending at Rue du Four above St-Claude Square.

On the left we see the square tower of the Jacquemard, built around 1440 when the castle was enlarged, as well as the west tower on the right. The massive round tower behind the wall is the keep, which dates back to the late 13th century.

The old town of Estavayer-le-Lac is full of charming surprises, you won't regret strolling while looking around!

In front of us, Rue du Four descends towards St-Claude Square and its view of Lake Neuchâtel and the Jura mountains. On our right, Ruelle de la Batiaz goes through Rue des Granges before ending in Rue du Château.

We are about to arrive at St-Claude Square and its view of Lake Neuchâtel and the Castle of Chenaux. To our left, Ruelle des Arcades leads to the arcades of Church Square, which we may show you if we shoot more views in Estavayer some day.

The "Musée des Grenouilles" (Frog Museum), Estavayer's historical museum, is housed in a former seigneurial residence that probably dates back to before the 15th century, since it was bought by a lord of Estavayer in 1406. Its façade on the street has remained almost unchanged since 1408!

Our view here is oriented to the Frog Museum, at the beginning of the street, and the Main Street (Grand-Rue) is behind us. On our left, Impasse des Jardins gives us a glimpse of the bell tower of the collegiate church.

The street narrows before it leads to Grand-Rue. The atmosphere is a bit abandoned, the renovations have not yet reached all the old houses of the city.

Another surprise in the old town: "Security", a work by the French artist Levalet showing a character with a key lost in front of a door with multiple locks. It is part of the ArtiChoke urban art itinerary, which brings together some fifteen works painted, sculpted, moulded or produced using other techniques, located in the four corners of the city.

Rue St-Laurent continues to Grand-Rue (Main Street), running along the collegiate church on the west. On this side there are two secondary entrances to the church, while the main door is on the other side, on Place de l'Eglise (Church Square).

The vaulted passage under the old mansion which houses the Frog Museum leads to Ruelle de la Fausse-Porte (False Door Lane). We will show you more after our next shooting in Estavayer!

Place Saint-Claude, even if it is overcrowded with parking spaces, is still a very beautiful area and one of the only places in the old town where you can see Lake Neuchâtel.

Place Saint-Claude, with its fountain and public bench for a romantic break, is one of the most idyllic places in Estavayer-le-Lac. And you will have a superb view of the castle a few metres further on!

In the past, the waters of the lake bathed the northern ramparts and Estavayer was a port town, with a strong commercial activity via the lake. After the adoption of the Reformation in 1536 by Neuchâtel and Vaud, while Estavayer remained Catholic, trade dried up. With the lake level dropping by about 2.7 m in the second half of the 19th century, the town found itself far from the new shores.

The Collegiate Church of Estavayer-le-Lac, in Gothic style, stands on the remains of a Romanesque sanctuary. Its construction was particularly long, lasting from 1379 to 1525. The interior paintings date from the 16th century, as do the stalls and the celebrant's seat, while the high altar dates from the 17th century.

The collegiate church is a place of Catholic worship and, when we went in, a celebration was taking place. We were therefore only able to capture a few panoramas on the sly...