WANDER THROUGH
THE CHÃTEAU
DE GRUYÃRES
History tells us of 19 counts of the House
of Gruyères from the 11th to the 16th centuries.
In 1554 bankruptcy forced the last count
Michel to give over the castle to the cantons
of Fribourg and Bern to pay his debts. From
1555 to 1798 it served as residence to bailiffs
and later for prefects from Fribourg. In 1849
the Bovy and Balland families bought the castle
as a summer residence and restored it with
their friends. The canton of Fribourg bought
it again in 1938 and turned it into a museum
open to the public. This potted history
is showcased in a more entertaining way
in an 18-minute multimedia show that puts
the castle into context. Out in the open again
explore the castle to find three capes of the
Order of the Golden Fleece in the Burgundian
Room part of the booty captured by the
Confederates at the Battle of Morat against
Charles the Bold Duke of Burgundy on June 22
1476; the severed hand of an Egyptian mummy
in Corridor 1; the magnificent wall decoration
in the Knightsâ Room... Daniel Bovy one of
the last of the Bovy family lost his feet and
fingers in an Alpine accident and staved off
depression by restoring the pile; the trapdoor
they used to haul his wheelchair to the first
floor can be seen in Gallery I.
July 2016 93