Maison seigneuriale de Rochefort: A Fortified Manor House in Moudon
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Switzerland
- Primary era
- Unclassified
- Eras represented
- Unclassified
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Castle
History
The Maison seigneuriale de Rochefort, also called Château du Rochefort, is a fortified manor house at the highest point of Moudon’s upper town in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. It began as a residence and now houses the Musée du Vieux-Moudon. The earliest buildings on the site included a butcher’s shop, followed later by a merchants’ hall that was converted into a fortified house.
From the sixteenth century until the late eighteenth century, the property belonged to the de Cerjat family. They named it Rochefort after a lordship they held in the Aubonne region. It later passed through several owners and served a range of purposes, including as a meeting hall for Moudon’s German-speaking parish, a brewery, and a tobacco manufactory.
The municipality acquired the building in 1933. About ten rooms were restored in 1945 for a museum, which opened there in 1950. Renovations from 1989 to 2000 allowed the museum to expand into five more rooms. The Maison seigneuriale de Rochefort is designated a Swiss Cultural Property of National Importance.
