Lausanne Historical Museum

As is only right, the Lausanne Historical Museum is housed in a building that does it justice - the bishop’s palace, which faces the Cathedral. Its oldest sections date back to the 11^th century.

Opened in 1918, it tells the story of Lausanne, from its prehistoric origins through to the economic, social and urban revolutions of the 19th century. The most amazing item is surely the incredible model representing 17th century Lausanne on a 1/200 scale. It is based on a 1638 map made from a high view point and the first cadastral map of 1723. The entire model, which weights 1500 kg and required two years of work by four model makers, shows 850 buildings, 1700 chimneys, 500 people and… 4000 vines. Yes, because there was once a time when Lausanne’s vines reached as far as Place Saint-François.

From the top of the City, ten centuries lay before you

The Historical Museum houses 550,000 works and objects, its mission being to collect materials that tell the story of the local area: crafts, industry, economy and fine art. The Museum regularly publishes articles and works, and it organizes seminars and conferences. Its library contains 5000 titles. The iconography area is extensive, with drawings, oil paintings, prints and maps of Lausanne and the surrounding area. The photographic collections contain more than 300,000 images from 1840 to the present day. The collections of objects focus on silverwork – their strong point – pewter, clothing, ceramics, furniture and tools.

Its director since 2003, Laurent Golay brought the museum into the 21^st century, particularly with the project to redefine the permanent trail.