Wanting to bring life to the vast meadows surrounding the establishment, a herd of bison was introduced in 1987. They are ruminant herbivores that handle extreme temperatures well, due to their fleece changing thickness according to the season. Impressively large animals - they weigh about one tonne - with an astonishingly calm nature.

The Blanc family, who own the park, wanted to give these rustic creatures some company, so they started to bring bears and wolves into the same park in 2001. This co-habitation sometimes causes serious fights, but there's joy as well, such as in witnessing the few recent births. A common living arrangement in "freedom under surveillance" that you are invited to watch from a footbridge over the paddock. Open all year round from 9am. Bison specialties in the restaurant.

Informations et contact: www.juraparc.ch
Juraparc, Mont d'Orzeires - Route de Vallorbe - Vallée de Joux (see access map)
Photo: MCG

Advice from smart bison! The park is open until night fall, which is the best time to observe the animals. This is when there's the most activity within the park and when the public is usually quiet!

If you live in Nyon, there is always the possibility that one day you may find some thousand-year-old vestiges in your cellar!  Indeed, this small city on the banks of Lake Léman was built on « Noviodunum », the urban centre of the Colonia lulia Equestris that was used around 45 BC to accommodate the veterans of Julius Caesar's army. In those days, everything in Noviodunum was new: the colony, settled on lands probably taken from the Helvetians, the inhabitants, who had come here to enjoy a well-deserved retirement, and even the name of the town, which means « new rampart », as opposed, it seems, to the old Roman hill-fort in Geneva, about twenty kilometers away.

If the archeologist are only now beginning to get a clearer understanding of the structure of the city, it is due to the fact that excavations in an urban environment turn out to be a delicate endeavor, and also that the major finds are most often accidental, and recent. So it was, in 1974, with the discovery of the Roman forum basilica, with the amphitheatre, discovered in 1966 during work on a construction site, or even with the aqueduct, which was spotted to the west of the city. If many of these vestiges are still visible, many others were buried again, after they had been discovered and indexed. The localities of discovery are indicated by a lighter color of bitumen or a dark red slab. Keep your eyes open!

Things you must see in Nyon:

The Exhibition « Côté Jardins » (15.06.2007 - 31.05.2008): Romans, it is known, had developed a very sophisticated art of gardening, as much for their subsistence as for their enjoyment: vegetables and aromatic or medicinal herbs, fruit-bearing and flower-bearing trees, all of which composed the sometimes lavishly laid out gardens of the notable families. To again enjoy a bit of these aromas of yesteryear, the Museum has taken this opportunity to enrich the Roman garden, drawing inspiration from what the inhabitants of those days used to like. Don't miss the Julius Caesar Esplanade (just behind the Roman museum, Maupertuis street (locate).

See the open-air amphitheatre discovered in 1996 at the junction of « Rue de la Colombière » and  « Rue de la Porcelaine » (locate) 

Those interested in aqueducts will find, at the heart of the Mangettes Park, to the west of the city, sections of a duct, a dozen kilometers long, that started in Divonne (F), where it collected the spring water, before it crossed the border, made its way into Switzerland and up to Nyon. Where exactly it ended, however, is still unknown.

The columns with a sculpted cornice which one can see when arriving at Nyon from Geneva have not always been located on the «Esplanade des Marronniers ». They were raised in 1958, in celebration of the city's 2000th anniversary. Placed this way, they are not the reflection of one of the monuments of the Colonia lulis Equestris, but they can still be admired!

And finally, if you should not forget to look down for the archeological finds indicated by a lighter color of bitumen or dark red slabs, you will certainly want to look up as well, to see the some of the rehabilitated vestiges in certain parts of the city. The walls of buildings of medieval origin, like the Caesar tower, which houses a relief depicting Attis, the Castle, the Sainte-Marie gate with its original marquee, or even the Roman relief reinstalled on the «Place du Marché », or the high relief of goddess Diana in the Northern corner of the temple, all bear witness to the recycling of materials that followed the downfall of the city right from the end of the 3rd century.

Photo: The amphitheatre, Fibbi-Aeppli

We owe the beginnings of archeology in Nyon to Théodore Wellauer. In 1860, the school teacher created a museum that eventually found room at the Castle at the end of the 19th century, after it was promoted as a municipal institution. As a lucky coincidence, the fortuitous discovery of the Roman forum basilica in 1974 occurred at a time when the museum had started feeling a bit short of space.

After a lot of negotiating, all of the Castle's Roman collections were shifted to this new museum, which was delimited by the foundations of a monument from the 1st century Over the years, this particular link between the museum and the archeological site became more significant as more discoveries were made on the site, thus contributing to a permanent development of the collections. These collections depict, with a touch of humor, the daily life of our Roman ancestors, with some surprisingly well-preserved mosaics, in particular. Thus we learn that they were fond of oysters and snails, that they introduced viticulture into Helvetia, that they made use of blushers and perfumes, and even that they resorted to mortar, a mixture of sand and lime, for their buildings. A bit like us indeed, but 2000 years back!

For more information:

Site of the Roman museum in Nyon: http://www.mrn.ch/

The Museum set up a series of activities for children, to let them explore the Roman legend, investigate the museum, create the front of a temple, become initiated to mosaic and even drape the way Romans used to.

Nyon's International Archeology Film Festival: a creation of the Roman museum conducted every alternate year, for the general public. This time, it's too late: the 2007 edition is over and you will have to wait until 2009 for the next one!

Photo: Roman Museum, Rémy Gindroz La Croix/Lutry

Sophie and Raymond Weber needed a place unlike any other to present their unusual floral and vegetal art. They chose to set to work at these ancient mills surrounded by nature, a few kilometers from Moudon. They run the entire estate, which spreads over four levels.

There are plants everywhere, charming mini-jungles with both cut flowers and selected potted plants in regional garden centres. A place of art and crafts, these unique florists are ready to share with other artists to bring out their creations. If you are considering a hanging garden, are imagining table decorations or simply want to bring life to your terrace, this place is an indispenable source of inspiration. Kids' corner and small cafe area available.

Contact and information:

Les Ateliers du Moulin
Route de Sottens (localiser)
1510 Moudon
Tél. + 41 (0)21 312 62 10
Photo: Francoyse Krier