Chillon Castle in Switzerland

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

The majestic snow-capped peaks of the Alps against the blue sky, and under them - the incredible beauty of the boundless Lake Geneva … Switzerland is an extremely picturesque country. The mountain air here is simply healing. No wonder Switzerland became the first climatic resort for the treatment of pulmonary diseases, in particular tuberculosis. And with the fashion for trekking, mountaineering and skiing, the popularity of this small country in the heart of Europe has only increased. But Switzerland also has other attractions. No, this article will not talk about ultra-precise watches, chocolate or Swarovski crystals. France is considered to be the country of medieval castles. But Switzerland has no shortage of them either. Suffice it to recall at least the castles of Grandson (de Grandson) or Chillon (Château de Chillon). And if the first stands on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, thirty kilometers north of Lausanne, then the second rises directly above the waters of Leman. In this article we will talk about the Château de Chillon: how to get to the castle and what to see.

Sights of Lake Geneva

The ancient Romans, advancing the borders of their empire to the north, discovered this body of water and named it Lacus Lemannus. With the formation of the Swiss Confederation, the lake began to be called Geneva - after the largest city on its shores. But later people returned to the old name again. And so it happened that the lake on Russian maps is listed as Geneva, and on European maps as Leman. This crescent-shaped reservoir is located on the border between France and Switzerland. It stretches from west to east for seventy kilometers. The northern coast is a continuous chain of fashionable resorts, united under the common name of the Swiss Riviera. Perhaps Leman's hallmark is the Geneva Fountain. For a hundred and twenty years now, it has been continuously throwing a jet of water to a height of 150 meters. St. Peter's Cathedral of the thirteenth century is a kind of architectural dominant of Geneva. The capital of the canton Vaud Lausanne is the second largest city on Lake Geneva. There is a very mild microclimate that allows growing grapes. At one time, Mozart, Byron, Hugo, Dickens and other famous personalities rested in Lausanne. And in the neighboring town of Vevey, Charlie Chaplin lived his last years. The grave of the most famous comedian is located in the city cemetery. Dostoevsky and Gogol, Ernest Hemingway visited Vevey. Yverdon-les-Bains has the only natural sandy beach on the entire Lake Geneva. There are also healing springs that have created the glory of the town as a balneological resort. And finally, the lovely Montreux. Thisthe town is located on a low hill near the majestic Alpine mountains and Lake Geneva. It is in it that the Chillon Castle is located.

How to get there?

Montreux is located on the eastern shore of Lake Geneva, just forty kilometers from Lausanne. Of the great Russian celebrities, Leo Tolstoy, Igor Stravinsky and Pyotr Tchaikovsky visited here, and Vladimir Nabokov lived here for his last seventeen years. Montreux is known as a resort for active people. It has many golf and yacht clubs, riding centers. Skiers surf the surface of the lake, climbers climb the rocks, and hikers walk along the surrounding slopes. Montreux is also famous for its gardeners. Whenever you arrive, the city will delight you with lush flowering - from primroses and tulips to chrysanthemums and cyclomens. Four kilometers from Montreux is its main attraction - Chillon Castle. You can get to it from the A9 highway. There is free parking near the castle. Bus number 1 runs from Montreux to Chillon every ten minutes. A visit to the castle-museum will cost twelve francs for an adult, and half the price for a child.

History of the medieval fortress

Chillon rises on a small rock sticking out from the bottom of Lake Geneva. The castle is connected to the coast by a bridge. Chillon was built in a strategically important place. After all, the St. Bernard Pass is very close. Thus the fortress controlled the main route from Europe to Italy. The history of the castleresearch scientists, begins with the ninth century. But Chillon took on its present appearance in the thirteenth century, under Peter of Savoy. Archaeologists also find Roman coins in this place, although there is no information about the presence of a camp or fortification from antiquity. The first written evidence of Castrum Quilonis dates back to 1160. Even then it was the main residence of the Dukes of Savoy. In 1253, Pierre II conceived a grandiose rebuilding of the castle, which continued (with short interruptions) until the fifteenth century. But those twenty-five buildings on the three courtyards of the citadel that we see now were built by the architect Pierre Meunier in the middle of the thirteenth century.

Prison Castle

From the fourteenth century, pilgrims and merchants traveling to Italy began to use the St. Gotthard pass more and more actively. Chillon Castle gradually lost its original meaning - control over the main tract. The Dukes of Savoy began to use not so much the chambers of the fortress as its dungeons. During the Black Plague (1347), Jews were tortured in casemates, extorting confessions from them that they had poisoned the springs with a terrible disease. Then the Dukes of Savoy - ardent Catholics - kept the Huguenots in prisons, burning them as heretics in one of the courtyards. During the witch hunt, the same fate awaited women accused of witchcraft. Those who died in the dungeons from hunger and torture were thrown out by the guards into Lake Geneva through special windows. All these outrages continued until May 29, 1536, until the castle was taken after two days of siege. Protestants of Bern. In 1798, when the canton of Vaud became independent, the citadel became its property. Soon a museum was opened within the walls of the castle.

Famous Prisoner

In the cellars of the citadel, many eminent persons languished. Here, for example, is Abbe Valu from Corvey, who was imprisoned in Chillon Castle by order of the French King Louis the Pious. Or the great chancellor of Savoy, Guillaume de Bologmier, who, a century after the fire of the Jews, was drowned in Lake Geneva near the walls of the citadel. But the most famous prisoner of the castle was Francois Bonivard. He was prior in the monastery of San Victor in Geneva, and when he began to support the ideas of the Reformation, he immediately fell out of favor with Charles III, Duke of Savoy, an ardent papist. From 1532 to 1536, Francois Bonivard spent "without trial or investigation" in the prison of Chillon Castle, chained to a pillar. And, most likely, a part of Guillaume de Bologmier would have been waiting for him if the Protestants from Bern had not taken the fortress by storm.

Romanticization of Chillon Castle

In the summer of 1816, the English poet George Gordon Byron visited Lake Geneva (Switzerland). Among other attractions, he visited the medieval castle, rising directly from the water. In the fortress, Byron was told the story of François Bonivard. Shocked by what he heard, he wrote the poem "Prisoner of Chillon". A pillar has been preserved in the basement of the castle. The poet was told that it was to this crossbeam that the great Huguenot was chained for four years. And Byron left his autograph on the historic pillar. Chillon Castle in Montreux was also mentioned in their works by Percy Shelley, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo. Famous people such as Auguste Flaubert, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Hans Christian Andersen have visited the fortress.

Castle Museum

Thanks to the poem, the fortress has become a world celebrity. In the 19th century, medieval buildings were not favored, turning them into barracks or warehouses. But Chillon Castle was a happy exception. Already in 1887, the Association for the Preservation of the Monument was established. The authorities of the canton of Vaud also did not stand aside, and in 1891 the castle was awarded the status of a historical monument. And in 1939, a hundred thousand people visited the fortress-museum.

What to see in Chillon Castle?

This is Switzerland's most famous architectural landmark. Lake Geneva and Chillon Castle look like one organic whole. From a height it seems as if the ship is moored near the shore. The castle consists of twenty-five buildings on three courtyards. A donjon rises in the center. The only place of worship is the castle chapel. It contains paintings from the 14th century. Visitors are led through a suite of pompous chambers. These are festive, knightly, armorial halls, a guest room, a count's bedroom. No less interesting is the prison. The dungeon with vaulted ceiling resembles a Gothic cathedral. To get the most out of the tour, you need to purchase a brochure in Russian at the box office.