SCHWEIZ / SUISSE / SVIZZERA / SVIZRA	SWITZERLAND
Waadt / Vaud / Vaud / Vad

map →

Aigle is situated at an elevation of 415 m on the east edge of the Rhône valley in the Vaud Alps on an alluvial fan created by the Grande Eau river, about 13 km southeast of Montreux and about 35 km southeast of the cantonal capital, Lausanne. The municipality has a population of about 10,800 (2021).

The earliest known traces of human settlements in the area date from the Bronze Age. During Roman times, Aigle lay on the road from the Great Saint Bernard pass via Viviscus (Vevey) to Aventicum (Avenches), the Roman capital. The Romans had a number of names for Aigle: Ala (Wing), Alena (Little Wing), Aquilegia and Aquilas ('eagles', hence the modern French name Aigle, i.e. 'eagle'). The first medieval mention of the municipality occurs in 1150 under the name of Alium. In 1076 Aigle came in possession of the House of Savoy. The Abbeys of Great Saint Bernard and Saint-Maurice also had holdings here. In 1231 it obtained the privileges of a market town, and in 1314 those of a town. Subsequently, it became an important commercial center because of its location on the road to Italy. In 1475, the mountain regions of Saanen and Pays-d'Enhaut, who were allied with Bern, attacked and burned the tower of Aigle Castle. They then gave Aigle town and the surrounding district to Bern in exchange for not having to pay one-third of their income to Bern. In the treaty of Fribourg from 1476, Fribourg received rights over the Aigle district, which they gave up to Bern in 1483. Bern rebuilt Aigle Castle in 1489 and made it the seat of the bailiwick of Aigle. From 1798 to 1803, Aigle belonged to the canton Léman in the Helvetic Republic, which thereafter was transformed into the canton of Vaud.

Aigle castle goes back to a stronghold of the barons of Aigle who were mentioned first in 1179. However, only traces of this first castle have been discovered. The castle was rebuilt in the second half of the 13th century, with a fortified donjon and a curtain wall. In the 14th century, turrets were added. The massive tower in the south corner was built around 1450. During the wars between Savoy and Berne, the castle was devastated. Berne rebuilt the castle again in 1488 and made it the seat of a provincial governor. The representatives of Bern resided here until the French invasion and creation of the Helvetic Republic in 1798. In 1804, the castle was acquired by the community of Aigle and until 1976 it was used as a cantonal jail. Since then, it has been a museum open to the public. Today the castle is home to Musée de la Vigne et du Vin (Vine and wine museum).

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aigle_VD, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aigle]