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Vufflens Castle today

Switzerland · Restored

Vufflens Castle

Vufflens Castle is a medieval castle in Vufflens-le-Château, canton of Vaud, Switzerland, built in the early 15th century and listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. The surviving ensemble includes the donjon (keep), multiple towers, outbuildings, a surrounding curtain wall and a gatehouse; the site remains privately owned.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1395

Its prime

1430

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1430

What Vufflens Castle looked like in its prime.

Built c.1420–1430, the castle presents a compact walled plan centered on a tall donjon with several towers rising above a continuous curtain wall and a principal gatehouse. Four corner towers are prominent in local tradition; outbuildings and service ranges cluster inside the enclosed bailey. The gatehouse pierces the curtain; the fortification sits beside the village of Vufflens-le-Château, its skyline defined by the keep and the linked tower silhouettes rather than dispersed ruins.

Its story

The story of Vufflens Castle.

Vufflens Castle was built between 1420 and 1430 by Henri de Colombier, an advisor to Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy, on the site of an earlier medieval castle mentioned as early as 1108, of which nothing now remains. After the death of Philibert de Colombier in 1544 it passed through various owners, and in 1641 it was acquired by the de Senarclens family.

A myth of the earlier castle tells that its lord, Grimoald, punished his wife for giving birth to a daughter, when he wanted a son to inherit, by telling her he would kill the child. The present ensemble of donjon, towers, curtain wall and gatehouse remains privately owned and is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

Step inside

6 places to explore in 1430.

The record describes 6 distinct spots at Vufflens Castle, including 3 interiors: gatehouse passage and entrance, donjon main chamber and wall openings, corner tower chamber (local myth). 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 and gatehouseGatehouse passage and entranceInner courtyard and service outbuildingsDonjon main chamber and wall openingsCorner tower chamber (local myth)Top of the surrounding curtain wall

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Castle Siege

Play Castle Siege at Vufflens Castle.

A strategy game played on Vufflens Castle’s real ground plan: the same surveyed walls shown in the archive below. Post your finite garrison on the battlements between assaults, then hold out as rams, siege towers, trebuchets and sappers arrive in ever-worse waves.

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Whose castle

Clans who held Vufflens Castle.

The families that held Vufflens Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Colombier

    Built 1420–30 by Henri de Colombier; in the family until Philibert de Colombier's death in 1544.

  • de Senarclens

    Acquired by the de Senarclens family in 1641.

From the archive

Vufflens 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.

Karl Jauslin (1842-1904) - Skizzen, Studien, Schloss Vufflens, Vufflens Castle

Karl Jauslin (1842-1904) - Skizzen, Studien, Schloss Vufflens

· Museums Muttenz (via Europeana)

CC BY-SA

Questions about Vufflens Castle

What is the history of Vufflens Castle?

Vufflens Castle was built in the early 15th century as a substantial residence on the site of an earlier medieval castle. Henri de Colombier commissioned the new building between 1420 and 1430, and it remained with the Colombier family until Philibert de Colombier’s death in 1544. Bernese troops set it on fire in 1530; it later passed to the de Senarclens family in 1641.

What is inside Vufflens Castle?

Vufflens Castle contains a gatehouse passage and entrance, a main chamber in the donjon, and wall openings. A corner tower chamber is also documented, although it is associated with a local myth. The available architectural description also identifies an inner courtyard and an eastern residential building separated from the donjon by the courtyard.

Why was Vufflens Castle built, and what was it used for?

Vufflens Castle was built for use as a large, representative residence rather than only as a defensive structure. Its design used an Italian master builder, brick construction and forms inspired by Piedmontese castles. The surviving complex combines residential buildings with a donjon, towers, curtain wall and gatehouse, bringing domestic and defensive functions together.

Where is Vufflens Castle?

Vufflens Castle is in Vufflens-le-Château, in the canton of Vaud. It stands in the municipality of Vufflens-le-Château in the Morges district. The castle is beside the village, with its keep and linked towers forming the dominant feature of the local skyline.

When was Vufflens Castle built?

Vufflens Castle belongs to the 15th century. The supplied dates differ: one record gives 1395 as its first-raised year, while the documented construction of the present castle took place between 1420 and 1430. It therefore belongs to the early 15th-century building period, on the site of an earlier castle mentioned as early as 1108.

Was Vufflens Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Vufflens Castle was attacked and set on fire by Bernese troops in 1530. The supplied account does not describe a siege or state that the castle fell during the assault. It also records that the castle suffered no damage during the Bernese conquest of Vaud in 1536.

Which family or clan held Vufflens Castle?

The Colombier family held Vufflens Castle from its construction by Henri de Colombier between 1420 and 1430 until Philibert de Colombier’s death in 1544. The de Senarclens family acquired it in 1641 and became a later owning family. These are the two families specifically documented in the castle’s ownership history.

What did Vufflens Castle look like in its prime?

Vufflens Castle presents a compact walled plan centred on a tall, square donjon, with several towers rising above a continuous curtain wall. Four lower towers surround the 60-metre donjon and are linked by a wall walk with machicolations. A gatehouse pierces the curtain wall, while outbuildings and service ranges occupy the enclosed bailey.

Is Vufflens Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Vufflens Castle is still standing and has been restored. The surviving ensemble includes the donjon, several towers, outbuildings, the surrounding curtain wall and the gatehouse. A comprehensive restoration took place in 1860, while the earlier castle on the site has disappeared and nothing of it remains.

Can you visit Vufflens Castle?

Vufflens Castle is not open for public visits. It remains privately owned, and a description of its present access states that viewing the castle by the public is not possible. Its heritage designation is class A Swiss cultural property of national significance.

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