La Tour-de-Peilz
Origin of the name La Tour-de-Peilz
The place appears in 1163 in the form "Turre" (the tower), then in 1229 as "Pel" and in 1294 as "Turrim de Peilt". The name thus combines a tower with a place called "Peilz", which the most widespread hypothesis links to a Latin family name, Pellius, based on Roman finds at the locality of En Peilz (to be cross-checked). The old German name is "Vivis zum Thurn".
Founding of La Tour-de-Peilz
The territory was acquired by Peter II of Savoy between 1248 and 1255, who had a castle built there. In 1282 Count Philip I of Savoy founded a new town with liberties on this spot, at the eastern edge of the lands of the bishop of Lausanne. The castle was enlarged between 1282 and 1288. The town remained small, squeezed between Vevey and Montreux.
History of La Tour-de-Peilz
Roman period. A milestone and traces of Roman settlement show that the site was occupied.
1163. First mention, in the form "Turre".
1248-1255. Peter II of Savoy acquires the territory and has a castle built.
1282. Count Philip I of Savoy founds a new town with liberties.
1282-1288. The castle is enlarged, first in wood (1284), then in masonry (1288).
1476. The castle is destroyed by the Bernese (to be cross-checked).
1536-1798. The place belongs to Bernese bailiwicks.
1747. Rebuilding of the castle begins; its two round towers partly date from the Savoyard period.
1764. The town has 638 inhabitants.
1766-1770. The harbour is remodelled.
1850. The town has 1'035 inhabitants.
31 December 1877. Death in La Tour-de-Peilz of the painter Gustave Courbet, exiled in Switzerland after the Paris Commune.
1900. The town has 2'417 inhabitants.
1979. The commune acquires the castle.
1987. The Swiss Museum of Games opens in the castle.
2000. The town has 10'230 inhabitants.
Population of La Tour-de-Peilz
| 1764 | 638 |
| 1798 | 778 |
| 1850 | 1'035 |
| 1900 | 2'417 |
| 1950 | 5'015 |
| 2000 | 10'230 |
| 2025 | 13'053 |
Historic sites in La Tour-de-Peilz
Castle and Swiss Museum of Games. Built by Savoy in the 13th century and rebuilt from 1747, it has belonged to the commune since 1979 and has housed the Swiss Museum of Games since 1987.
Church of Saint-Théodule. Reformed church whose north wall incorporates the former town rampart.
Liberty Fountain. Fountain decorated with a bust of Helvetia by Gustave Courbet, who spent his last years in the town.
Villa Kenwin. Villa listed as a cultural property of national importance.
Harbour. Harbour on Lake Geneva, remodelled between 1766 and 1770.
Remains in La Tour-de-Peilz
Savoyard towers of the castle. The castle's two round towers partly date from the Savoyard period (13th century) and survived the destruction and the 18th-century rebuilding.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Tour-de-Peilz, La »
- Wikipédia FR, « La Tour-de-Peilz »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near La Tour-de-Peilz
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