Each story is rooted in real local history and landmarks
Young Othon de Grandson leaves his lakeside castle to follow Prince Edward on the Crusade to the Holy Land. Homesick, he carries a pebble from Lake Neuchâtel as a talisman through the siege of Acre and back again. A story of loyalty, adventure, and a knight who saved a king's life far from home.
After the Battle of Grandson in 1476, a Swiss farm boy wanders into Charles the Bold's abandoned camp and discovers a glittering golden hat, magnificent tapestries, and a diamond — but has no idea what any of it is worth. The greatest treasure hoard of the late Middle Ages lies at his feet, and he must decide what to do with it.
Told from the perspective of a young drummer boy inside the besieged castle, who watches the garrison surrender on a promise of mercy from Charles the Bold. When the promise is broken and 412 defenders are led to their deaths, the boy must escape across Lake Neuchâtel — a story of betrayal, courage, and the cost of a broken word.
A child touches the ancient standing stone of Grandson and is transported back 5,000 years to watch Neolithic people erect it on the lakeshore. Then forward through time: Romans marching past, medieval knights building the castle, the great battle of 1476, and finally today — 6,000 years of history witnessed through one stone's memory.
During the 2026 medieval festival, a girl in costume discovers a secret passage in the castle that leads to a hidden chamber where Charles the Bold's lost silver bathtub still sits, guarded by a very old cat. The 550th anniversary celebrations bring Grandson's past alive in unexpected ways.
A child learns that the poet Oton de Granson helped invent Valentine's Day and sets out to write the perfect love poem using clues hidden in the castle's Romanesque capitals and carved stones. With Chaucer calling Granson "the flour of hem that make in France," the child discovers that poetry and stone can carry love across centuries.
Othon de Grandson commands the final evacuation of Acre in 1291 as the last Crusader stronghold falls. A child stowaway on the Venetian rescue ship watches the old knight save the wounded while the city burns behind them. On the open sea, Othon clutches his Lake Neuchâtel pebble and turns west toward home.
At the new crossbow centre in the renovated castle, a nervous child enters a marksmanship competition and discovers that patience and focus matter more than strength. With the ghost of William Tell offering quiet encouragement from the ramparts, the child learns that the Swiss tradition of marksmanship is about self-discipline, not warfare.
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