Mestral Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mestral Castle | |
|---|---|
Château de Mestral Château de Saint-Saphorin-sur-Morges | |
| Échichens | |
 Schloss Saint-Saphorin | |
| Site information | |
| Code | CH-VD |
| Condition | preserved |
| Location | |
  Mestral Castle  Mestral Castle | |
| Coordinates | 46°32′43.14″N 6°29′14.80″E / 46.5453167°N 6.4874444°E |
| Height | 526 m above the sea |
| Site history | |
| Built | 17th century |
The Castle of Saint-Saphorin-sur-Morges, also called Mestral Castle, is a castle in the municipality of Echichens of the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.[1]
The current castle was built on the ruins of an old feudal castle which consisted of two buildings divided by a courtyard: one of them served as a dungeon while the other was used as housing for the local lord.[2]
In 1727, General François-Louis de Pesmes de Saint-Saphorin, after a career as a soldier and a diplomat, retired to Saint-Saphorin where he was born. Previously, he had the castle rebuilt, which already belonged to his family, on the model of that of Vullierens. His daughter, Judith-Louise, married Gabriel-Henri de Mestral, then Lord of Pampigny.[3][4]
The castle took the name of Mestral, and among the successive owners, the engineer Georges de Mestral, inventor of Velcro, inherited it on the death of his father in 1966.
