Switzerland · Still standing
Grandson Castle
Grandson Castle (Château de Grandson) is a medieval castle in Grandson, canton of Vaud, Switzerland, and is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. It was built in the 11th century, rebuilt in the 13th century, and played a role in the Burgundian Wars of the 15th century. The fortress survives largely complete and today is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Switzerland.
First raised
1050
Its prime
1475
Today
Still standing
As it stood in 1475
What Grandson Castle looked like in its prime.
A compact medieval stone fortress of pale local masonry with continuous high curtain walls punctuated by multiple towers and a clear roofline of the residential ranges; the château stands on the low plain beside Lake Neuchâtel so its southeastern wall originally met the water. Battlemented wall-walks run along the ramparts; the northern wall shows vestigial masonry where a dungeon tower once stood, and a later western extension is built over earlier foundations.
Its story
The story of Grandson Castle.
The Lords of Grandson are first mentioned in the second half of the 11th century, when the castle was built. The house sired a number of powerful scions, including bishops of Basel, Lausanne, Toul and Verdun, and as the lords expanded their power they came repeatedly into conflict with the nearby monastery of Romainmôtier. Otto I is the most famous of the line; after his death in 1328 his brother William moved to England, where he founded the line of the Lords of Grandisson.
The main line remained close to the House of Savoy and possessed the confidence of the Count, but declined from the end of the 14th century. Otto III was accused of having killed Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy, in a fight, and John II of Grandson was convicted of forgery and sedition against the Duke of Burgundy and sentenced to death by suffocation. When John II died, the power of the family died with him.
Rebuilt in the 13th century, the castle played its part in the Burgundian Wars of the 15th century — very few of Charles's soldiers were killed, but the Swiss had humiliated the greatest duke in Europe, defeated one of the most feared armies and taken a most impressive amount of treasure. The fortress survives largely complete, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Switzerland and a heritage site of national significance.
Step inside
5 places to explore in 1475.
The record describes 5 distinct spots at Grandson Castle — including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Create History
Recreate Grandson Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1475 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate this castle →Whose castle
Clans who held Grandson Castle.
The families that held Grandson Castle for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
Grandson
Seat of the Lords of Grandson from the second half of the 11th century until the death of John II, with whom the power of the family died.
