(Redirected from Chateau Chillion)
Chillon castle's basement, where the rocks are apparent. It has been used as a prison and as storage area over the centuries.
The 'Chillon Castle' (Château de Chillon) is located on the shore of
Lake Geneva near
Montreux,
Switzerland. The
castle consists of 25 independent buildings that were gradually connected and now form a single whole.
The oldest parts of the castle have not been definitively dated, but the first written record of the castle is in
1160 or
1005[1]. From the mid
12th century, the castle was home to the
Counts of Savoy, and it was greatly expanded in the
13th century by
Pietro II. The Castle was never taken in a siege, but did change hands through treaties.

Chillon Castle in winter, viewed from east
It was made popular by
Lord Byron, who wrote the poem ''
The Prisoner Of Chillon'' (
1816) about
François de Bonivard, a
Genevois monk and politician who was imprisoned there from
1530 to
1536. The castle in one of the settings in
Henry James's novella ''
Daisy Miller'' (1878).
It now hosts a museum with some historical objects preserved and is open to public tours.
Notes
1. According to publication ''Chillon'' by Auguste Guignard (former secretary of the ''Association for the Restoration of the Chillon Castle''), published by Ruckstuhl SA (Renens, Switzerland) in 1996:
"The oldest historical document relating to Chillon bears the date 1005, and from this it is seen that the castle belonged to the bishops of Sion, who confided its care to the d'Alinge family."
External links
★
Official site
★
Castle's history