Clan Rising
Orbe Castle today

Switzerland · Restored

Orbe Castle

Orbe Castle is a medieval stone castle in the municipality of Orbe in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. It comprises a tall, rectangular stone keep and adjoining curtain wall above the town, and is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1300

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1300

What Orbe Castle looked like in its prime.

A massive, nearly rectangular stone keep of rough-dressed pale limestone rises directly from the town rampart; its flat-topped silhouette lacks prominent crenellations. The keep’s south face has one tall, narrow pointed-arch window and several narrow vertical arrow-slits puncturing the wall. A low stone curtain wall runs out from the keep, topped by a narrow wall-walk with ivy and moss on the face. A small two-storey annex with a steep tiled roof nestles at the keep’s base, and the site overlooks cultivated fields and a village.

Its story

The story of Orbe Castle.

Orbe Castle is a medieval stone castle in the municipality of Orbe, in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It survives as a tall, rectangular stone keep with an adjoining stretch of curtain wall standing above the town.

The castle is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

Step inside

7 places to explore in 1300.

The record describes 7 distinct spots at Orbe Castle, including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Exterior approach from the town roadCurtain wall and wall-walkSouth façade of the keepBase annex and entranceTop of the keep (roof/parapet)Slope below the curtain wall with small graves and gardenView over the village and valley from the ramparts

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Recreate Orbe Castle with AI to explore it.

The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1300, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.

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From the archive

Orbe Castle on paper: the measured plan and period views.

The survey plan and photographs below are the ground truth this page's reconstructions are checked against, drawn and photographed while the castle was still a working garrison. Every image is public-domain or openly licensed, with its source named.

Orbe: Gesamtansicht von Osten, mit Kirche, Orbe Castle

Orbe: Gesamtansicht von Osten, mit Kirche

· State Archives of Baden-Württemberg (via Europeana)

CC BY

Orbe: Blick von der Terrasse zum Uhrturm, Orbe Castle

Orbe: Blick von der Terrasse zum Uhrturm

· State Archives of Baden-Württemberg (via Europeana)

CC BY

Questions about Orbe Castle

What is the history of Orbe Castle?

Orbe Castle has very ancient origins and was first mentioned in 864, when Louis II and Lothaire II met there. Conrad III of Burgundy restored it at the end of the tenth century, and Amédée III of Montfaucon-Montbéliard enlarged it in 1232–1233. In 1475, Confederate troops captured Orbe and partially destroyed the castle.

What is inside Orbe Castle?

Orbe Castle contains a small exhibition about the castle’s history in its round tower. The top of the tower provides a view across the town and the Orbe plain. The surviving site also includes a square tower and a circular keep, although the supplied descriptions do not identify named rooms.

Where is Orbe Castle?

Orbe Castle is in the municipality of Orbe, in the canton of Vaud. It stands above the town, with views over cultivated fields and a village. Orbe is the administrative municipality in which the castle is located.

When was Orbe Castle built?

The exact date when Orbe Castle was founded is not known. It was already mentioned in 864, was restored at the end of the tenth century, and was enlarged in 1232–1233. It therefore has very ancient medieval origins and was developed in several phases rather than built in one recorded year.

Was Orbe Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Orbe Castle was attacked in 1475, when Confederate troops captured the town and partially destroyed the castle. Only the towers and the keep were preserved at that time. Nearly a century later, the municipality demolished two remaining towers and lowered the surviving enceinte walls to about one metre above ground.

What did Orbe Castle look like in its prime?

Around its prime year of 1300, Orbe Castle had a massive, nearly rectangular stone keep rising from the town rampart. Its flat-topped silhouette lacked prominent crenellations; the south face had a tall pointed-arch window and narrow arrow-slits. A low curtain wall with a wall-walk extended from the keep, while a small steep-roofed annex stood at its base.

Is Orbe Castle still standing or is it a ruin?

Orbe Castle is restored, but only parts of the former castle survive. The remains include a square tower and a circular keep; the castle was partially destroyed in 1475, and two further towers were demolished nearly a century later. The surviving ruins and the esplanade are listed as Swiss cultural property of national significance.

Can you visit Orbe Castle?

Orbe Castle can be visited by the public. Its round tower is open to the public and contains a small exhibition about the castle’s history. The tower’s summit offers views over the town and the Orbe plain.

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