Le Château de Chillon
The Castle of Chillon (French: Château de Chillon) is located in the commune of Veytaux, three kilometres away from the city of Montreux and only half an hour drive from Lausanne. Situated in an idyllic location between the shore of Lake Léman and the Alps, the Chillon Castle is righteously Switzerland’s most visited monument.
The Castle is consisted of hundred independent buildings, which were gradually connected through the centuries to become the building as it stands today. The first written record of the Castle is in 1160 or 1005, although the oldest parts of the castle have not been definitively dated. Inside the castle, there are four great halls, three courtyards and a series of bedrooms open to the public. One of the oldest rooms, the Camera domini, was occupied by the Duke of Savoy and its walls are decorated with medieval murals.
The poem “The Prisoner of Chillon“, which was written in 1816 by Lord Byron about François de Bonivard, a Genevois monk and politician who was imprisoned there from 1530 to 1536, has enhanced the Castle’s popularity to the broad public. Visitors can still read Lord Byron‘s name carved by himself on a pillar in the Castle’s dungeon. The Castle of Chillon is also one of the settings in Henry James‘s novella “Daisy Miller” written in 1878.
The Castle is open daily to the public for visits and tours and you can even rent it for your private banquet or reception and enjoy an evening as the Master or Mistress of the Castle.
Address: Château de Chillon, 1820 Veytaux — Phone: +41 (0) 21 966 89 10 — Internet: Château de Chillon
