iCyclades - Cyclades Discovery Guide

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The castle was bequeathed to the town in 1854 and since 1940 has housed the municipal administration and the town council chamber. At the entrance to the western courtyard, take the time to admire the monumental portal with its fortifications and grotesque figures, built between 1573 and 1576.

The Grand-Rue (Main Street) runs through the whole of Lutry from west to east but our virtual stroll does not follow it. We are here at the crossroads with Place des Halles and Rue de l'Horloge. We will now go directly to the top of Rue de l'Horloge to take the Simplon passage which leads to the heart of the old town.

The port of Lutry is one of the 35 landing stages of the CGN (General Navigation Company on Lake Léman). To the west, the next landing stages are Pully and Lausanne, while to the east, the first is Cully.

This passage connects Rue de l'Horloge to Rue Verdaine by passing under the House of Simplon, one of the oldest buildings in Lutry. The first building, which was built against the rampart, dates from the 13th century and, in the 15th century, the house was extended as far as Rue Verdaine. Restored in 1980, it is very close to its original appearance.

The tower that stands at the end of Place des Halles is not, despite appearances, a church tower. The Clock Tower was built in the 13th century but soon lost its defensive function. Partly demolished in the 16th century, its materials contributed to the construction of the new church tower. It became private property, was transformed into a dwelling in the 19th century, and now belongs to the municipality of Lutry.

Historically, Place du Temple is the heart of Lutry. All the social activity grew up around the church and the now wiped out monastery, which were located on the route of the pilgrims to Compostela. The original church, in Romanesque style, was built in 1025 by monks from France. Developed in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Lutry priory became one of the most important in the region, but in 1344 a terrible fire destroyed a large part of the village and the church, which was rebuilt in Gothic style.

Walk along the north side of the church to reach the bottom of Rue du Château. This cobbled street, which you see here on the left, climbs towards the castle, crossing one of the most picturesque parts of the small town of Lutry.

There are two ports in Lutry. This one, adjacent to the CGN pier, is the communal port, which was completed in 1836. Further west (towards Lausanne) is the private port of Vieux Stand, built in 1998.

Our panorama here is directed towards Place des Halles, where our virtual stroll will take you for a tour in the old town. Continuing on the left along the port, you reach the CGN boats landing stage. On the right, our stroll stops just after the port but the quay continues to the Lutry beach.

Our virtual stroll will soon come to an end, but if you continue along the quay, you will arrive at the nice beach of Lutry, with its old-style springboard and its refreshment bar open from the end of March to mid-October. There is something for everyone, with grass, trees, sand, pebbles and a superb view, making it one of the most beautiful on Lake Geneva.

In front of the east pier of the small port of Lutry stands "The Pied Piper", a steel sculpture by Hansjörg Gisiger (1919-2008). This sculptor, draughtsman and engraver from Basel was trained in the studio of a former practitioner of Rodin, became professor of sculpture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne in 1956, converted to working with steel and set up his new studio in Lutry.

Just before Rue de l'Horloge arrives at Rue des Terreaux, this long underground passage leads to Rue Verdaine under the House of Simplon, one of the oldest buildings in Lutry. From Rue Verdaine, we will go for a stroll around the church and the castle.

At the point where Rue des Terreaux joins Route de Lavaux (the cantonal road that runs along the lake from Lausanne to Vevey), a door leads to a very small room where the imposing wine press of the castle is located. At the end of this room, you can go for a stroll in the old town of Lutry.

Rue du Bourg connects the main road (Route de Lavaux) to Place du Temple, from where it continues along Rue du Port to the lake shore. Just before the castle and Route de Lavaux, you can see here Rue du Château, which widens a little further and also joins Place du Temple. But first take the time to discover the magnificent castle gate that you see on the left, and go through the large courtyard!

From Rue Verdaine, near the exit of Passage du Simplon, an alley leads to Place du Temple, or more precisely to Rue du Bourg, which runs alongside this square. Apparently, this alley, like the one further along rue Verdaine, is unnamed and is considered part of Rue du Bourg.

Initially a narrow alleyway connected to Rue du Bourg, Rue du Château runs alongside the western courtyard (where the passage here on the left leads), then passes under a picturesque arch before widening into a small square, from where you can discover a pretty inner courtyard and an old wine press before continuing towards Place du Temple.

Here we are on the other side of the arch that spans the narrowest part of Rue du Château. Behind us, the street widens to form a small cobbled square from where we can go and discover the inner courtyard of the castle and the small room of the old wine press.

This small cobbled square is very pretty but a bit disappointing. We expect to find at least a bench to take a break but there is nothing... except... The wing of one of the doors is open and we'll obviously go and have a look!

We are here at Rue Verdaine, a lane that connects Grand-Rue (behind us, towards the lake shore) to Rue du Bourg (in front of us, towards the castle). On the left is the passage that leads to Rue de l'Horloge under the House of Simplon, one of the oldest buildings in Lutry. On the right, an alleyway leads to Place du Temple.

We can see the church tower at the end of this unnamed alley. On the left, Rue Verdaine joins Rue du Bourg some distance from the castle. On the right, it descends towards Passage du Simplon and then joins Grand-Rue (main street).

At the point where Rue Verdaine meets Rue du Bourg, you will see the House of De Prez, an imposing gothic building built in the early 16th century for a noble family. Go through the door to discover "The Cloister", an inner courtyard full of history. It is a private house, but you can enter!

As the date on the façade indicates, this part of Lutry Castle dates back to 1576. Our view here is north-west facing. On the left, at the foot of the staircase, the vaulted passageway leads to Rue du Château. On the right, you see the vaulted entrance to the small room where the old wine press is located.

After the fire that ravaged Lutry in 1354, the church was rebuilt in Gothic style and only a few traces of the primitive Romanesque church remain visible, such as the door under the organs, the vault of the entrance porch, the lower floors of the square tower and two columns embedded in the north of the apse. Even if you are not an architectural enthusiast, take the time to admire the entrance to the church, it is worth a look!

After the Reformation of 1536, the Catholic church became a Protestant temple and around 1570 renovation work began. Inside, the Lyon painter Humbert Mareschet redid the vaults in 1577 with a Mannerist decoration typical of the Italian Renaissance, where animals and plants fill the whole space. Take the time to admire the details of this masterpiece of grotesque art!

The old wine press of the castle was built in 1874 and it carried out its last commercial pressing in 1967. It was in 1979 that a Lutry resident wished to restart this unused press. The Municipality authorised him, on condition that he'd provide... ten bottles of the year's pressings! The Wine Press Society was born and since then, it has held the "Fin Naze" cellar under the Council Chamber during each harvest festival. (In French, "Fin Naze" has two meanings: "Good Nose" and... "Totally Drunk")

Behind the entrance is a vaulted hallway flanked by two arched arcades, and two wells. Around 1830, the syndic (mayor) of the time renamed the house in memory of the medieval priory whose buildings surrounded the church (as well as to follow a romantic fashion) but the place was never actually a cloister.

The rooms of the castle cannot be visited, but you can wander around freely. Our virtual stroll will take you through some of the publicly accessible areas. At the end of this courtyard, a passage to Rue du Château will allow you to discover more.