Musée d’Yverdon et région

About the museum

The museum is one of the oldest in the canton of Vaud. It began in 1764, when the pastor and naturalist Elie Bertrand donated minerals and fossils to the Société économique of Yverdon; after his death his entire natural history cabinet was added, and the collection was opened to the public from 1767. In the 19th century it grew encyclopedically to include archaeology, regional history, ethnography and art, above all thanks to the excavations of the curator Louis Rochat.

After the Roman finds of 1903, the museum was entrusted to a society of its own. The canton of Vaud officially recognised it in 1953, and it has since held the archaeological finds of the region. In 1998 it narrowed its focus to archaeology and regional history and handed its natural history collections over to the cantonal museums. Since 2001 the Fondation du Musée d’Yverdon-les-Bains has run the museum; the city supports it substantially.

Since 1914 it has been housed in the castle of Yverdon, which was built from 1259 on the orders of Peter II of Savoy as the first "carré savoyard". In the Bernese period the bailiffs resided here and decorated the state rooms with paintings; in the early 19th century Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi ran his institute here. The tour leads across four floors from the first pile-dwelling settlements through the Roman castrum and the Burgundian period to the industrial age; the highlights include two Gallo-Roman oak boats in the vaults, the Bernese state rooms and the Egyptian mummy Nes-Shou.

Highlights

• Two Gallo-Roman wooden boats in the castle cellars
• Bernese state rooms with late 17th-century wall paintings
• Mummy of the priest Nes-Shou with grave goods
• Permanent exhibition "L’Histoire au carré" on 10,000 years of regional history
• Espace Robert Piguet on the Yverdon couturier (Musée suisse de la mode)
• Medieval castle with views from the keep

Permanent exhibitions

• L’Histoire au carré – The tour across four floors shows Yverdon and its surroundings from the first pile-dwelling settlements through the Roman castrum to the industrial 20th century, along with the history of the castle itself.
• Espace Robert Piguet – A permanent room of 25 m² run by the Musée suisse de la mode on the Yverdon couturier Robert Piguet, with sketches by Dior, Givenchy and Bohan as well as evening gowns.
• Le voyage de la momie – A new presentation of the mummy of the priest Nes-Shou and his grave goods within the permanent exhibition.

Founded

1764

Operated by

Fondation du Musée d’Yverdon-les-Bains

Director

Vincent Fontana

Admission & discounts

Free: Raiffeisen card, Swiss Museum Pass, Swiss Travel System tickets, school classes from Yverdon-les-Bains and the region, ICOM/VMS members, members of the friends' associations AMY and ARCHY and of MuMode (for the Espace Robert Piguet). Discounts: BCV EXTRA CHF 2 off an adult ticket, Carte culture Vaud 50%, Pedze Pass 20%.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

There is a west entrance for people with reduced mobility. According to the tourism portal, only the first upper floor is accessible without barriers.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Family pass for 2 adults and up to 4 children. Children's birthday parties for 10 children (Wednesdays and weekends 2–4 pm) with a castle tour, a workshop (pottery from age 7, animal masks from age 5, Lego printing from age 6) and Zvieri in the Salle bleue.

Getting there & parking

The castle has a north entrance and a west entrance (for people with reduced mobility).

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop on site.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 40 guests.

The Salle bleue on the second floor (48 m², 16th-century tiled stove) can be rented for aperitifs, banquets and corporate events, from CHF 150; accessible by stairs only.

Plan your visit