Chillon Castle - Sightseeing & Information

Chillon Castle is one of the most famous monuments in Switzerland. Nobody knows the exact date of its construction. According to the surviving written sources, Chillon was first mentioned in the 13th century.

Many legends of the past centuries are associated with it. For example, it was about him that Byron wrote in his famous poem "The Prisoner of Chillon". The first traces of human settlement on the Chillon Cliff date back to the Bronze Age and later to the era of the Roman Empire. The original medieval fortress wall, the date of construction of which is unknown, was significantly enlarged and partially rebuilt between the XI-XIII centuries, being initially in the possession of the bishops of Zion, the castle was granted in the XII century to the Counts of Savoy.

During the reign of Pierre II of Savoy, the architect Pierre Meunier gave the castle its present dimensions. The restoration of this architectural monument was undertaken at the end of the 19th century. This restoration was greatly facilitated by historical archival documents containing the dates of various works on the reconstruction of the castle, starting from the end of the 12th century.

The castle walls are surrounded by Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) on one side, and mountains on the other. With the opposite bank, on which Geneva is located, it is connected only by a narrow wooden bridge. Despite some drama of the landscape, the view before the eyes of the traveler is very beautiful. Today the castle is one of the attractions of Switzerland. And in the past, Chillon had a strategic purpose: it stood on the road between Burgundy and Italy.

The strong walls of the castle for many centuries helped its owners to defend themselves from enemies. Then prisoners were kept in the basements of the castle. Chillon belongs to the Swiss canton of Vaud, attracting tourists with its beauty and celebrity (visited by Byron, Victor Hugo, Hans Christian Andersen, Flaubert, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and many others).

The castle is open to the public every day, including Christmas and New Years. For tourists, special excursions are organized here, telling about the centuries-old history of this treasure of medieval architecture.