• CH & IT Roadtrip
    Bienvenue au Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.
    Frescoes on an exterior wall of the Gruyères Castle — Gruyères, Switzerland.Kitchen @ Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.Burgundian cape ... part of the booty from the Battle of Morat (1476) — Château de Gruyères.The Bailiffs' Room @ Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.Stained glass panels from 1688 & 1699 @ Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.The Corot Room ... by a painter friend of Daniel Bovy who lived at the castle b/w 1852-1857.Detail from the Corot Room @ Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.The Counts' Room ... with 16th century tapestries @ Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.One of the 16th century tapestries in the Counts' Room @ Château de Gruyères.Tapestry depicting the Triumph of Mordecai ... in the Counts' Room @ Château de Gruyères.The Grand Tour Room ... from the exhibit showing Switzerland becoming a destination of choice.From the balcony ... the castle garden protected by ramparts since the 15th century — Gruyères.The Music Room and the piano from 1835 @ Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.Nature-inspired paintings by Francis Furet and Jules Crosnier @ Château de Gruyères.View of the town & Moleson ... from Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.Hunting Room ... preserves the memory of hunting lodges owned by the counts of Gruyères.Medallion Room ... with 17th century Flemish foliage tapestries @ Château de Gruyères.The Knights' Room ... dedicated to the memory of the counts of Gruyéres @ Château de Gruyères.Knights' Room paintings; upper left shows an original fresco that was covered by the paintings.One of the galleries @ Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.The Gardens and the village from one of the galleries @ Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.The formal garden @ Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.The Château de Gruyères from the garden — Gruyères, Switzerland.Stained glass window at the chapel ... Château de Gruyères — Gruyères, Switzerland.

    Gruyères: Le Château

    August 7 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    Up bright and early after a good night’s rest, we had a delicious and filling breakfast at the hotel. And then it was time to head to the Château de Gruyères. Our plan was to arrive before the tours and day trippers arrived. We succeeded! It was great to have the place all to ourselves for about an hour!

    The first mention of the castle goes back to 1244. At the time, it was the home of the counts of Gruyères, one of the leading noble Swiss families of the Middle Ages. It was built for defensive purposes, using a military design developed by the House of Savoy. When it was reconstructed during the 15th century, the castle became more of a residence.

    After the counts were bankrupted, their lands were divided between the Bern and Fribourg families, with the latter taking possession of the area that is now Gruyères. The bailiffs of Fribourg were installed in the castle to administer the region during the period between 1555 and 1798. It was during their administration that cheese production grew in importance and cheese exports to foreign markets increased.

    In the mid 19th century, the castle was auctioned off … the winning bid was submitted by the Bovy Brothers. The current look of the interior of the castle dates back to this time when Daniel Bovy invited his artist friends from France and Geneva to participate in redesigning the décor of many of the rooms.

    With colorful tapestries, frescoes and murals, and period furnishings, Château de Gruyères made for an interesting place to while away the morning, the formal gardens providing a quiet place to relax before we continued our visit to Gruyères with another stroll around town afterwards.    Read more