Yverdon-les-Bains
Intro
The town of Yverdon-les-Bains nestling between the Jura, the hills of the Broye and Lake Neuenburg is the most important spa resort in western Switzerland. In summer the town and the area surrounding it are a water sports and natural paradise.
The thermal spa of Yverdon-les-Bains combines the beneficial characteristics of the sulphur water and modern, in recent years completely renovated spa facilities with an attached 4-star hotel. Thanks to its sulphur- and magnesium-rich sources Yverdon-les-Bains has a long tradition as a thermal health spa and centre for healing, as the ruins of the Roman spa testify. Primeval menhirs and medieval castles bear further testimony to 6000 years of history.
The Grande Cariçaie nature preserve extends alongside the sparsely populated and developed southern border of the lake. The area is home to 1000 plant and 10 000 animal species. From May to October visitors have the opportunity to explore the natural wealth of the marshy lakeside at the Champ-Pittet nature preserve centre in the immediate vicinity of Yverdon-les-Bains. Trails across the marsh, forest and prairie landscape as well as a bird-watching centre allow visitors to have an intensive nature experience.
The cultural town of Yverdon-les-Bains offers a few unusual museums: with the «House from Elsewhere» Yverdon boasts the first science fiction museum in Europe. At the Savoy Castle, which dates from the 13th century and dominates the old town, an exhibition documents the history of the town and region. The same building also houses the Swiss Fashion Museum. At the castle and later also at the town hall – another site well worth seeing – the famous Swiss pedagogue Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi – influenced early on by Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ideas on education – from 1805 to 1825 ran an education institute for poor children which became world-famous.
