Friday 27 September 2013
http://www.avenches.ch/en/index.cfm
ZIWA’s Discovering Zürich and Switzerland group members are
used to making long journeys to explore every corner of our beautiful country,
but this trip had even more going for it than usual. A three-stage train ride
into Canton Vaud, a challenging French lunch menu, two different eras of
history and a French-speaking tour guide! Not to mention the chance to meet
people from nine different countries and five continents. Where else but in
ZIWA?The journey and the all-important lunch
First we found our coach at the far end of the fast train to
Geneva via Fribourg, only to find our seats taken by a party of noisy
schoolboys. We closed ranks, and they got out at Bern so we could hear
ourselves speak again then. Then in Fribourg there was a rush to catch the
regional train to Payerne, and find new neighbours to chat to and more gossip
to catch up on. Finally we caught another local train to the small but
picturesque old town of Avenches, famous for its towering turrets and its Roman
amphitheatre. After hiking uphill, pausing briefly to admire the view, we hurried
to find our seats inside the historic Hotel Restaurant de la Couronne for
lunch. The menu du jour kept us
occupied for quite a while – vivaneau
anyone? Choices were divided between that and the civet or venison with all the trimmings, including extra spätzli.
Dessert was a yummy chocolate fig cake, and the wine card got a good testing
too.Friends, Romans, countrymen
After settling up and checking out all the facilities, we
strolled out to find our guide near the famous Roman amphitheatre. A lovely
lady, Sonia Müller, but she spoke only French. Multilingual Chip came to the
rescue as translator, with several other members of the French conversation
groups chipping in. We heard that the Helvetic tribes, the local Celtic people,
were in dispute with the Alamanni, a German tribe, and were defeated here by
Julius Caesar in 58BC on his way to conquer Gaul. The Romans under Augustus established
a walled settlement known as Aventicum in 15BC, whose relics can be seen in and
around the small town to this day. Aventicum became the capital of the Helvetii
due to its strategic position and links to waterways. The local people
gradually adopted the Roman way of life and benefited from its extensive
empire and trade connections. The Sacred Way was built in the town centre in
71-72 AD, and the town boasted 20,000 inhabitants in its heyday. The old town
wall is still visible with its 73 watchtowers and four gates. Stone from
Neuchatel was brought via canal. Burial relics
We then entered the Roman museum, which occupies an 11th
century building extending over five floors, adjacent to the well-preserved
Roman arena. We studied a map of the old Roman town, and saw several wall
paintings, and relics and statues obtained from local burial sites. The museum
also contained mosaics of gladiator combat with animals. Downstairs into the
region of the dead, we learnt that while adults were cremated, children were
buried in stone tombs along with funerary objects which have survived. Constantine brought Christianity to the Roman
Empire in 312 AD. Upstairs on the first
floor we saw many beautiful sculptures including the 2000 year old bust of
Marcus Aurelius cast in gold, excavated as recently as 1939. The frescoes,
mosaics and coins gave us a fuller picture of life in Avenches during the Roman
settlement. On the top floor we saw models of the lifestyle of the local
inhabitants, which improved under the Romans.
Back beside the amphitheatre, we heard that today it is used
for staging opera, rock festivals and a tattoo in October: 16,000 people can be
seated when extended.
Dark and Middle Ages
The imposing castle overlooking the town was home to 22
bishops, although barbarians destroyed part of the original settlement. In the
13th century, the Bishop of Lausanne founded a small house in
Avenches, when window taxes were common. It was later enlarged in the
Renaissance style in the 16th century, by the invading Bernese.
Sculptures of the builder, mason and other key figures can be seen on the outer
wall of the castle which also served as a prison. The site of an original
drawbridge can still be seen; a modern theatre has also been built on the site.
We strolled around the outer wall of the medieval town and
re-entered via the 14th century Tour de Vully at the Porte des
Voleurs. On the inner wall, we noticed a Star of David, which indicated a place
of sanctuary for Jews. The main street of the medieval town is still much the
same, the Town Hall dating back to 1438, and the nearby Rue Paysan was where
the people kept their animals and dried tobacco leaves on their sloping roofs.
We just had time to peep inside the curious wooden-roofed
church of Mary Magdalene, formerly a Benedictine priory, which was rebuilt in
1709-11 after the Reformation. Then we said Au
revoir to Sonia, our guide, and took a welcome drink outside before heading
back to the station to catch the direct train to Bern. Another opportunity to
socialise, share recipes and email addresses and to thank Anne-Marie for
sharing another aspect of her beloved French-speaking part of Switzerland.
PS. Vivaneau turned out to be snapper.
Julia Newton, 1
October 2013.
