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The Lausanne-Vidy Roman Museum
The Lausanne-Vidy Roman Museum traces the history of the Roman presence on the Vidy site, on the shores of the lake of the present-day city of Lausanne. The museum was founded in the 1930s and built on a domus, a luxurious Roman villa that was part of the city of Lousonna.
Lousonna is the ancestor of the city of Lausanne and was built on the shores of the lake between about 0 and 400 AD, that is, about 2000 years ago.
The entrance to the Lausanne-Vidy Roman Museum.
The reception on the ground floor.
The museum consists of two levels and an outdoor site:
- The ground floor – Temporary exhibitions
- The first floor – The permanent exhibition
- Outside -Vidy Archaeological Site
The price of tickets is as follows (admission is free on the 1st Saturday of the month):
- Adult: 8 francs
- AHV/IV: 5 francs
- Students: Free of charge
An interesting sign indicating Lousonna’s appearance at the bottom right, the location of the museum at the top left and the archaeological site at the bottom right.
Weather
Access
Parking spaces are available along the road next to the Lausanne-Vidy Roman Museum.
Parking spaces in the blue zone.
Permanent exhibition
The permanent exhibition is located on the first floor of the Roman Museum of Lausanne-Vidy and consists of 4 parts:
- The time that separates us from the Romans in relation to the creation of the Earth.
- Archaeological excavations.
- The history of Lousonna in the Roman Empire.
- The objects found in Vidy and presented in display cases.
Chronology of the universe
A string several kilometres long traces the history of the earth since its creation. Its purpose is to show that the Roman period, even more than 1500 years old, represents a very small past compared to the scale of the earth’s history.
The string on which are attached plates symbolizing events since the creation of the Earth.
Excavations
A room represents an archaeological excavation space to realize the work to be done to extract objects from the Roman period.
An example of excavation with the earth covering the ruins and objects dating back to Roman times.
History of Lousonna
The history of Roman Lousonna and the Roman Empire is presented in the form of newspaper clippings and maps.
Table with articles of the history of Lousonna.
Showcase on everyday life
- Rat ash, calf droppings and other cosmetics
- A wild fashion
- Practical and decorative
- At the table
- In the kitchen
- Turn on the light
- Locked with a key
- Oral and written
- People from here and elsewhere
- Imported items
- Transport and vehicles
- Weights and measures
- Great novelty: the small currency
A long window on everyday objects.
Death
- Last residences
A stone tomb.
Showcase on beliefs
- Egyptian gods in Lousonna
- Gods against giants
- The gods of Greece and Rome
- The Celtic and Gallo-Roman gods
The display case presenting objects related to religious beliefs.
Amphoras
- From fish sauce to all sauces
- Amphorating at the estate (Mise en amphore au domaine)
Different types of amphoras that were used to transport liquids.
Models of buildings
- The domus of the museum
- The forum of Lousonna around 250
The models of the domus.
The forum of Lousonna.
Showcase about money
- A large Lausanne fortune
- Salaries and cost of living
- Power and money
- Notable and successful
Coins found at Vidy’s site.
Showcase on the construction
- The beginnings of concrete
- Brick and tile
- cut stone
- blown glass
- water pipes
Various objects used in the construction of houses.
Showcase on materials
- Textiles and leather
- The bone
- The wood
- The iron
- The glass
- The terracotta
- Missed
Roman period materials found in Vidy.
Temporary exhibitions
The temporary exhibitions are located on the ground floor and regularly renewed, they offer a different and often offbeat view of archaeology. Below are some recent exhibitions:
- 2018 – Le clou de l’exposition (et vice versa) – (The highlight of the exhibition (and vice versa))
- 2017 – Trop c’est trop (Enough is enough)
- 2016 – L’ange des Andes (The Angel of the Andes)
- 2015 – Y a point comme nous
The entrance with the stairs leading to the permanent exhibition and on the right, the access to the temporary exhibition.
A temporary exhibition room on “the highlight of the exhibition (and vice versa)” in 2018. Hammer related to the theme of the nail.
Archaeological walk
A few minutes from the Lausanne-Vidy Roman Museum, below the motorway and next to the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is the archaeological walk where you can discover the ruins of the former forum of Lousonna which served as the city centre.
The brand new IOC headquarters.
The archaeological walk allows you to discover the foundations of the old forum of Lousonna. Observation posts” make it possible to discover how the Roman buildings could have been. In particular, we discover that the shores of the lake were several hundred metres ahead of the current ones.
The foundations of the Roman forum and the reconstruction of the lakefront in Roman times.
One of the many observation posts that allows you to see through a small hole what you could see at the same place in Roman times.
At the end of the empire in the 5th century, the city of Lousonna was not sufficiently protected from barbaric invasions and gradually abandoned to the profile of the city hill (colline de la citΓ©) where the current cathedral is located. In the Middle Ages, Lausanne was surrounded by a wall and was the largest city in French-speaking Switzerland. It was separated from Vidy by vineyards. During the 19th century, with the strong expansion of cities following the industrial revolution, Lausanne will join Vidy.
A magnificent model of Lausanne in the Middle Ages surrounded by ramparts. Historical Museum of Lausanne.
The Lausanne-Vidy Roman Museum offers a very well-done pdf document on Roman Lausanne in Vidy.
Romans in Western Switzerland
Many museums in French-speaking Switzerland present objects and relate the history of the Romans. All the information is available on the page dedicated to the Romans in French-speaking Switzerland.
Video
A video of a class visit to the Roman Museum of Vidy and the archaeological walk.
Attractions in the canton of Vaud
Attractions in the Lausanne region
Museums in Western Switzerland
