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Aubonne is situated at an elevation of 508 m in the valley of the Aubonne river, about 19 km west of Lausanne. The municipality has a population of about 2,650 (2003).

The area was settled very early. The oldest remains are from the Bronze Age. From Roman times, there remain foundations of villas, and from early medieval times, graves. The first documentation of the municipality is from 1177 under the name of Albona. In the first half of the 13th century, a defensive wall was built around the town. In 1255, the town was sold to Count Peter II of Savoy. Aubonne was the most important town on the north side of the lake between Lausanne and Geneva until the second half of the 15th century. Since the 13th century, it had weekly markets, and starting in 1487 semi-annual three-day markets. The Count of Greyerz (Gruyère) acquired Aubonne in 1393. Since he was allied with the Eidgenossen (Swiss Confederacy), the municipality was spared the ravages of the Burgundian Wars in 1476. When the canton of Vaud was conquered by Bern in 1536, Aubonne came under Bernese domination, but still belonged to the Count of Greyerz until 1553. In 1670, the city was bought by the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, and in 1685 by Henri Duquesne, who sold it to Bern again in 1701. From 1798 to 1803 it belonged to the canton of Léman in the Helvetic Republic, which through the mediation of Napoleon became the canton of Vaud. Aubonne has been the capital of its district since 1803.

The origins of Aubonne castle go back to the 11th century. Most parts of the castle were rebuilt in the 17th century. The Baroque great hall and the round tower with its characteristic roof cupola date from 1680. The courtyard of the great hall is decorated by arcades, the court room is decorated by a painted ceiling dating from 1670.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubonne]