The Place de Moudon dates from the same period as Estavayer’s oldest castle, Motte-Châtel, and was part of the castrum, or fortress attached to the castle. It was here that the co-seigneurs’ inner circle of ministers and advisors would have lived. The square owes its name to the descendants of Francis of Moudon who bought the house in the early part of the 15th century. In the 16th century the town of Estavayer bought back all the houses on the site, with the intention of demolishing them to make way for the first public square. The rifle house was where archers came to practice, shooting at targets positioned downhill from the Château de Chenaux.
