Introduction
Welcome to Murten, known in French as Morat, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Switzerland and the site of one of the most decisive battles in Swiss history. This tiny fortified town on the shores of Lake Murten retains its medieval walls virtually intact, and you can walk along the top of these ramparts for almost their entire length, looking out over the rooftops, the lake, and the flat farmland of the Seeland plain.
Murten sits on the southeastern shore of Lake Murten, the smallest of the Three Lakes that lie at the foot of the Jura Mountains. The town was founded around 1170 by Duke Berthold IV of Zahringen and was designed from the start as a fortified settlement, its walls and towers providing protection to the merchants and craftsmen who settled within.
The Battle of Murten, fought on June 22, 1476, was one of the three great Swiss victories over Charles the Bold of Burgundy and is remembered as a founding moment of Swiss independence. The story of that battle, and the siege that preceded it, is woven into the fabric of the town and will be a recurring theme on this walk.
Stop 1: Berntor (Bern Gate) — 46.9280, 7.1168
The Berntor, the Bern Gate, is the main entrance to the old town from the west and the starting point for our rampart walk. This sturdy stone gateway, with its portcullis groove and murder holes, dates from the thirteenth century and has been the principal entrance to the town for over seven hundred years.
The gate faces Bern, Murten's protector and overlord for most of its history. Murten became a Bernese subject town in 1475, just one year before the famous battle, and remained under Bernese control until 1798. The relationship with Bern brought stability, prosperity, and the architectural influence that gives Murten's old town its characteristically Bernese feel, with arcaded streets and sandstone buildings.
Pass through the gate and enter the Hauptgasse, the main street. Before exploring at ground level, however, let us climb to the ramparts.
Stop 2: Rampart Walk — West Section — 46.9282, 7.1175
Access the rampart walk by climbing the stone stairs just inside the Berntor. The stairs lead to the top of the town wall, a narrow walkway protected on the outer side by crenellations and on the inner side by a low parapet. The wall is approximately eight metres high and over a metre thick, built of local sandstone and mortar.
Walking along the ramparts is like stepping back into the medieval world. The walkway is just wide enough for a single person, and the view through the crenellations looks out over the fields and orchards that surround the town. During the siege of 1476, these walls were manned by a garrison of roughly 1,900 soldiers who held off the Burgundian army of over 20,000 for twelve days.
Charles the Bold of Burgundy, one of the wealthiest and most powerful rulers in Europe, had invaded the Swiss lands in an attempt to create a vast Burgundian kingdom stretching from the Low Countries to Italy. His army had already sacked the town of Grandson on Lake Neuchatel, and Murten was the next target. The garrison, a mix of Bernese, Fribourgeois, and local troops, was outnumbered ten to one but fought with desperate courage.
Look at the construction of the wall. The stonework is regular and carefully fitted, with arrow slits positioned at intervals to allow defenders to shoot at attackers while remaining protected. The battlements, the tooth-like projections along the top of the wall, provided shelter behind which archers and crossbowmen could reload before stepping forward to fire.
Stop 3: Rampart Walk — North Section — 46.9288, 7.1182
Continuing along the northern section of the ramparts, you gain views over the Seeland plain to the north. This flat, intensively farmed region was drained in the nineteenth century by the great Jura Water Corrections, which lowered the levels of the Three Lakes and transformed thousands of hectares of marshland into productive agriculture.
From this section of the wall, you can see the approximate positions where the Burgundian army was encamped during the siege. Charles the Bold set up his main camp to the northwest, blocking the road to Bern and cutting off the garrison's line of retreat. His artillery, which included some of the most advanced guns in Europe, bombarded the walls relentlessly, but the garrison repaired the damage each night.
The turning point came on June 22, when a Swiss relief army of approximately 25,000 men arrived from Bern, having marched through the night in driving rain. The Burgundians were caught completely by surprise. The Swiss attacked in a devastating assault that drove through the Burgundian camp and shattered their army in just two hours. Charles the Bold fled the field, leaving behind his treasure, his artillery, and thousands of dead.
The battle was a catastrophe for Burgundy and a triumph for the Swiss Confederation. It established the Swiss reputation as the finest soldiers in Europe and contributed directly to the collapse of the Burgundian state. The Swiss captured an enormous quantity of booty, including tapestries, jewels, and silverware that are now displayed in museums across Switzerland.
Stop 4: Tower Viewpoint — 46.9290, 7.1190
One of the wall towers along the northern ramparts has been opened to visitors, and the climb to the top offers a superb panoramic view. From here, you can see Lake Murten to the east, the Jura ridge to the north, and on clear days the Bernese Alps to the south.
Lake Murten is a small, shallow lake, just 8 kilometres long and about 2 kilometres wide. Its warm waters make it one of the most popular swimming lakes in western Switzerland, and its shallowness means it warms quickly in summer, sometimes reaching 24 degrees Celsius. The lake is surrounded by vineyards, orchards, and the small towns and villages of the Seeland.
The Vully wine region, on the northern shore of the lake, produces excellent white wines from Chasselas and increasingly good Pinot Noir. The wines of Vully are among the most sought-after in the Three Lakes region, and the vineyard-covered slopes across the lake create a landscape of quiet agricultural beauty.
Stop 5: Hauptgasse and Arcades — 46.9285, 7.1180
Descend from the ramparts and walk through the Hauptgasse, Murten's main street. The street is lined with arcaded buildings in the Bernese style, their ground floors sheltered by continuous covered walkways that allow shopping and socialising in all weathers.
Murten is another bilingual town, sitting on the language border between French and German-speaking Switzerland. The town is officially German-speaking, but the surrounding region includes French-speaking communities, and both languages are heard in daily life. The French name, Morat, is used interchangeably with the German Murten, and this duality gives the town an additional cultural richness.
The shops along the Hauptgasse are a mix of traditional businesses, boutiques, and galleries. Murten has become something of an artists' colony in recent years, and several galleries show work by local and regional artists. The town's photogenic qualities make it a popular subject for painters and photographers, and the quality of the light, reflected from the lake and softened by the surrounding greenery, is exceptional.
Stop 6: Deutsche Kirche — 46.9283, 7.1186
The Deutsche Kirche, or German Church, stands near the centre of the old town and serves the Reformed German-speaking congregation. This Gothic church dates from the fifteenth century and was converted from Catholic to Reformed use during the Reformation.
Directly across the lane is the Franzosische Kirche, the French Church, which serves the French-speaking Reformed congregation. The presence of two separate churches, one for each language community, in a town of barely 8,000 people is a vivid illustration of the bilingual character of this borderland.
The churchyard of the Deutsche Kirche contains tombstones dating from the seventeenth century, many with elaborate carved inscriptions in the Swiss German of the period. These inscriptions are a reminder that until the spread of standard German through schools and media, each Swiss community spoke its own distinctive dialect, and the written forms of these dialects varied considerably.
Stop 7: Schloss Murten — 46.9278, 7.1192
At the eastern end of the old town stands the Schloss, or Castle, of Murten. This medieval fortress was the seat of the Bernese bailiff who administered the town from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century. The castle is a relatively modest structure compared to the great Bernese-era castles of the Oberland, but its position at the corner of the town walls, with views in multiple directions, underscores its defensive function.
The castle is not generally open to the public, but its exterior and courtyard can be appreciated from the old town. The building has been repurposed over the centuries and now houses the town's administrative offices, continuing a centuries-old tradition of the castle as the seat of local government.
From the castle, a path leads down through gardens to the lakeshore. The descent is gentle and shaded, and it brings you from the medieval world of the old town to the lakeside promenade that is Murten's most popular recreational area.
Stop 8: Murten Harbour — 46.9295, 7.1198
The walk ends at Murten's small harbour, where boats connect the town with other lakeside settlements and with the linked lake system that extends to Neuchatel and Biel via connecting canals. The harbour is a pleasant spot to end the walk, with benches, trees, and views across the lake to the Vully vineyards.
The promenade that extends along the lakeshore in both directions is lined with willows and poplars. In summer, the bathing areas are filled with swimmers, and the warm lake water justifies Murten's reputation as one of the best swimming spots in the Three Lakes region.
From the harbour, look back at the town. The medieval walls, the towers, the rooftops, and the castle create a silhouette that has barely changed in five centuries. Murten is one of those rare places where the past is not reconstructed or imagined but simply present, preserved by the same walls that protected it in its darkest hour.
Conclusion
Murten is a small town with a large story. Its medieval walls, still walkable after seven centuries, its role in one of the decisive battles of Swiss history, and its position on the language border between French and German Switzerland give it a significance that belies its modest size. An hour here is enough to walk the walls, but the town deserves longer — a lunch in the old town, a swim in the lake, a glass of Vully wine on the harbour promenade.
Practical Information
- Best Time: Summer for swimming and the lake atmosphere. The rampart walk is accessible year-round. The torchlit castle evenings in December are magical.
- Wear: Comfortable shoes. The rampart walk involves stairs and narrow walkways.
- Bring: A camera for the views from the ramparts. Swimwear in summer.
- Nearby Food: The Hauptgasse restaurants serve local cuisine. Try the lake fish and Vully wines. The Ringmauer restaurant has a terrace with wall views.
- Getting There: Direct trains from Bern (25 min), Fribourg (15 min), and Neuchatel (20 min). Boats from Neuchatel in summer.