Murten - Morat     A beautiful lakeside fortress town   Murten, an 800 year old small town in the Canton of Fribourg, located 6km northeast of Avenches, is the main city of the Fribourg lake district and is situated on the language border. It is bang on the Röstigraben (linguistic divide), though among its 5,000 inhabitants, German speakers far outnumber francophones (who call the place Morat).   Lake Murten, which shares the same name as the town, has helped the development of tourism. The town and its lakeside boardwalk are just right for strolling, shopping or enjoying the sights. The great historical significance of the town is its town wall ("remparts, in French), extraordinary towers, and wonderful castle.   It is also one of the best preserved of Switzerland’s medieval towns, and is still encircled by its fifteenth-century walls. Murten's cobbled lanes, lakeview terrace cafés and lake, is the perfect place for a lazy, romantic getaway.   The town’s name is derived from the Celtic word moriduno, meaning “lakeside fortress”. A fire in 1416 led to rebuilding in stone, a useful move since, shortly after, in June 1476, Murten allied itself with Bern and Fribourg against the Burgundians and found itself facing down a concerted siege from Charles the Bold. On the right is a view of Lake Morat seen from the remparts, the walls that encircle the town.   One of the best ways to see Murten is from the ramparts, accessible at a number of points along Deutsche Kirchgasse. The main eastern gate is the Berntor, or Porte de Berne, with a distinctive clock face; paths lead from here downhill to the tiny harbour. Five minutes west along the lakefront promenade, just below the castle, is an old mill, now the town’s museum, housing a diverting collection of archeological bits and pieces exposed when dredging of the marshes to the east lowered the water level in the lake to reveal evidence of Neolithic settlement.   An aerial view of the town and the lake. On the bottom of the picture you can see the ramparts of Murten.       << Back to the Swiss Travels Menu << This page was created on: February 28, 2002. Last updated on: July 8, 2008. [ Site Menu ] [ Home ]  ~ Graphics by Irene ~ MLS ~ Information about Morat from the Rough Guide to Switzerland, by Rough Guides Ltd, London, from Switzerland.isyours & Murten Tourism.

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