7 Culture Vaud Military Museum, Morges

Morges, the city for those who love great strolls and local products, brims with witnesses of the past. Facing the somptuous Mont-Blanc, its cultural centre and its harbour adorned with sentry boxes give it a unique charm. The castle, built in the XIIIth century, houses a collection of weapons, armors, uniforms, artillery and figurines : more than 10'000 objects that retraces the military history of the Pays de Vaud and Switzerland, from the Middle Ages to the Cold War. Since 2016, an exhibition is also dedicated to Ignace Paderewski, famous pianist and Polish statesman, inhabitant of Morges for more than 40 years.

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In the 13th century, the bishops of Lausanne heirs to the county of Vaud, found themselves threatened by the two powerful houses of Savoy and Habsbourg. From 1240 Pierre II of Savoy 'the little Charlemagne' made himself a principality in the Country of Vaud which in 1286 became a prerogative of the youngest of the family, Louis de Savoy, who was the first baron of Vaud. It is he who built the castle and founded the town of Morges to oppose the bishop of Lausanne.

Consequently, the castle was used as a sporadic residence for the barons of Vaud then for the counts and dukes of Savoy when the baronie joined the crown.

After the revolution, the castle became property of the state of Vaud and was mainly used as an arsenal and since 1932 it has housed the Vaud Military Museum.

The castle is a perfect example of the 'carré Savoyard'. It does however include two particular features: The inner courtyard is raised to the level of the old entry which one reached via a drawbridge and the towers have round copings, a modification that was carried out in the 16th century at the time of the introduction of artillery.

Today the castle houses 5 museums:
> The Swiss museum of historical figurines
> The Vaudois Military museum
> The Vaudois Gendarmerie museum
> The Museum of Artillery
> The Paderewski Museum

Prices, packages

Entry fee:
Adults 10 CHF
Seniors 9 CHF
Students 8 CHF
Children from 6 to 16 years 3 CHF

Dates of availabilities

From 1 March to 30th November
Tue-Fri 10:00-12:00 and 13:30-17:00, Sat-Sun 13:30-17:00.
July and August : Mon-Sun 10:00-17:00 non-stop.
Monday closed

Proposed visits and duration

On request, reserve 5 days in advance
From 10 to 25 people 90 CHF supplement to the group entry fee of 8 CHF

Approx. 1:15h

Approx. 1:15h

Spoken languages

French, German, English

Shortly

To discover