Page 148 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Switzerland

Vallorbe’s engaging Musée
du Fer et du Chemin de Fer
(Iron and Railway Museum)

the otherworldly Maison
d’Ailleurs (House of Elsewhere)
is of interest to science fiction
EXPERIENCE Western Switzerland science fiction, utopian worlds
fans. This museum presents
temporary exhibits related to
and fantasy.
Yverdon’s thermal baths,
the Centre Thermal, is one of
Switzerland’s largest and
most modern spa centres,
with indoor and outdoor pools,
saunas and physiotherapy.
14
Yverdon-les-Bains
Vallorbe
" # Jun–Sep: 11am–5pm
Tue–Sun; Oct–May: 2–5pm
! A4 £ @ n 11 Rue des 15 Château d’Yverdon
! B4 £ @ n 1 Avenue de
Grandes-Forges; www. la Gare; www.yverdonles Tue–Sun
vallorbe-tourisme.ch bainsregion.ch Maison d’Ailleurs
This small industrial town lies Situated at the southwestern " ⌂ 14 Place Pestalozzi
near the Franco-Swiss border. extremity of Lake Neuchâtel, # 2–6pm Tue–Fri, 11am–6pm
From the Middle Ages until Yverdon-les-Bains is Vaud’s Sat & Sun ∑ ailleurs.ch
recently, the town was an iron- second town after Lausanne.
smelting centre. It was also at The Romans built thermal Centre Thermal
Vallorbe that the tunnel under baths here to take advantage ⌂ 22 Avenue les Bains
the Jura was built, thus creating of the hot sulphurous springs. # 8am–10pm Mon–Sat,
the Paris–Istanbul rail route. Yverdon’s town centre overlies 8am–8pm Sun & public
The history of both the the Roman settlement. The hols ∑ cty.ch
Swiss iron and railway indus- focal point is the Château
tries is reflected in the Musée d’Yverdon, a massive castle
du Fer et du Chemin de Fer built by Peter II of Savoy in
(Iron and Railway Museum), the 13th century.
which sits on the bank of the Part of the castle now
River Orbe. houses a museum of local
About 3 km (2 miles) south- history, with a collection of
west of Vallorbe are the Gallo-Roman finds and other
Grottes de Vallorbe. These exhibits. A section of the
are caves with spectacular museum is devoted to the life
stalactites and stalagmites. and work of Johann Heinrich
The caves form a tunnel over Pestalozzi (1746–1827), the
the Orbe’s passage, which Swiss educational reformer
surges through a gorge. who was influenced by the
writings of Jean-Jacques
Musée du Fer et du Rousseau and set up a school
Chemin de Fer for deprived children in the
'" ⌂ 11 Rue des Grandes- castle in 1805.
Forges # Mar–Oct: 2–6pm Place Pestalozzi, opposite
daily (from 10am Mon); Nov– the castle, is dominated by the
Apr: 10am–6pm Tue–Fri Hôtel de Ville, the town hall
∑ museedufer.ch built in 1768–73 on the site of a
former market hall. The col-
Grottes de Vallorbe legiate church on the west side
" # Apr, May, Sep & Oct: of the square dates from 1757.
9:30am–4:30pm daily; Jun– The arched pediment of its The château at
Aug: 9:30am–5:30pm daily Baroque façade features an Estavayer-le-Lac seen
∑ grottesdevallorbe.ch allegory of Faith. To the east, from Lake Neuchâtel
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