iCyclades - Cyclades Discovery Guide

Our virtual stroll ends here, at the entrance to the castle. Perhaps we'll show you around some other time. Built around 1270 and transformed at the turn of the 16th century into an elegant stately home, it houses a rich historical collection, fantastic artworks and colourful temporary exhibitions.

Like the chapel on the island of Ogoz, at the foot of the ruins of the castle of an ancient city submerged by the artificial lake of Gruyère, the church is dedicated to Saint Theodule, the first bishop of Valais (4th century AD). Although its construction dates back to 1254, it has undergone numerous transformations over the centuries.

This little park is not a deer pen. It used to be a place where cattle could be taken to keep them safe from raiders within the city walls.

Next to the church is the Ecrenis rampart, which once extended to one of the castle towers, protecting the whole of the lower part of the town, including the church, the cemetery and the cattle pen.

Just beyond the passage under the fortifications, you pass through the biomechanical world of HR Giger, the Swiss artist who created the alien monster in the famous film "Alien, the 8th passenger". Museum, bar and shop are a must for all lovers of surrealist art.

The path from the Cradle Chapel climbs towards the entrance to the town, a few dozen metres from the tourist office. It offers beautiful views of the surrounding area (if you disregard the car parks).

Towards the top of the path you start to see the medieval town and the view of the surrounding countryside becomes sumptuous.

Rue de l'Eglise (Church Street) leads down to the church of St. Theodule, which is below the castle but still within the city walls.

Just before reaching the church, you will see a beautiful calvary dating from 1635 and, next to it, the entrance to Clos aux Cerfs (Deers' Pen), a small park where a few benches invite you to take a break.

Even if you see a few vehicles parked on the church esplanade, Gruyères is a small town that you can only visit on foot.

We are about to enter the medieval city. On the left-hand side of the street, we see the small building of the tourist office. On the right, the city wall ends at the tower of Chupya Barba, of sinister memory.

A last look at the green countryside of Gruyère before diving into the medieval atmosphere of Gruyères. Yes, you read correctly: the region is spelled without a final s, unlike the name of the town.

This is Rue du Bourg (Burg Street), so long and wide that it almost looks like a large market square. On your right, a little higher up, you can see the Chupya Barba Tower (tower of the burnt beard), where the last interrogations of those condemned to death took place, with all the tortures you can imagine.

Rue du Bourg slopes gently up to the small Calvary building, where it splits in two, continuing to climb towards the castle on one side and descending towards the church on the other.

When you arrive in front of the Calvary, look to your right: you will see old grain measures. They were filled under the watchful eye of the Count (and later the Bailiff) and the measured grain flowed through small doors on the side of Auberge de la Halle.

As you can imagine, the chalet you see a little further up is not medieval, even if it has become emblematic of Gruyères. It comes from elsewhere and was rebuilt here. We will pass just to the right of it, under the fortifications, to continue towards the castle.

At the bottom of the shady way leading up to the entrance of the castle, you see on the right a small esplanade with the "photospot" of the Grand Tour of Switzerland and the beginning of the "Grands Chemins" which go all the way around the hill and back down to the car parks.

Here we are at the castle gate, but the entrance for visitors is at the side of the fortress. Turn right and follow the path.

The entrance to the castle is just after this arch, on a small esplanade. Our virtual stroll will end there, the visit of the castle will be for another time!

Like the chapel on the island of Ogoz, at the foot of the ruins of the castle of an ancient city submerged by the artificial lake of Gruyère, the church is dedicated to Saint Theodule, the first bishop of Valais (4th century AD). Although its construction dates back to 1254, it has undergone numerous transformations over the centuries.

This small 16th century building was not an oratory, but a storehouse for goods such as grain and salt, with a guardhouse upstairs. Nowadays it is an art gallery where craftsmen come to exhibit their work from Easter to mid-October.

The medieval city is closed to traffic. At the foot of the hill you will find large paying car parks, where it is even possible to spend the night if you are in a camper van. One of the access paths starts from the Chapel of St Sebastian and St Roch (also known as the Cradle Chapel), at the side of the road.

In the centre of Rue du Bourg stands a large fountain made of Artois sandstone. There is nothing medieval about it: until the 18th century, there were only wells and cisterns in Gruyères, but no running water. Spring water only arrived in the town in 1755, channelled over several kilometres in a simple wooden pipe.

Right next to the HR Giger Museum you can dive into a completely different world, that of the Roof of the World. The Tibetan Museum presents an important collection of Tibetan art, with thangkas, ritual objects and statuettes in gilded copper and brass from the 4th to the early 19th century. The collection is exceptional in terms of its age and quality, and many of the works date from the medieval period.

If you need information about Gruyères and this beautiful region, this is the place to go!