Château de Chillon

Château de Chillon

A castle on the water

At the eastern end of beautiful Lake Geneva, in Switzerland, a castle seems to float on the water: the Château de Chillon. Built on a small rocky island just off the shore, with the lake lapping at its walls and the snow-capped Alps rising behind, it is one of the most picturesque castles in the world. From the land it is joined by a small bridge, but on every other side it is surrounded by deep, clear water — a natural moat that helped keep it safe for centuries.

Guardian of a mountain road

Chillon stands at a crucial spot, where the narrow strip of land between the lake and the steep mountains carried an important road linking northern Europe with Italy. Whoever held Chillon could control this route and charge tolls from the travellers and traders who passed by. The castle's island position made it both a strong fortress and a perfect tollgate.

Most of the castle was built in the 12th and 13th centuries by the powerful Counts of Savoy, who ruled these lands. They made Chillon one of their favourite residences, building fine halls, chapels and chambers within the walls, decorated with paintings, some of which still survive.

The prisoner of Chillon

Beneath the castle lie its famous dungeons, carved partly from the rock of the island, with rows of pillars and vaulted ceilings. These gloomy underground chambers became known around the world thanks to a real prisoner and a famous poet.

In the 1500s a man named François Bonivard, who had angered the Duke of Savoy, was chained in the dungeon of Chillon for several years. Centuries later, the great English poet Lord Byron visited the castle, heard the story, and wrote a moving poem called The Prisoner of Chillon about a man held captive in its dark vaults. The poem made Chillon famous, and Byron even scratched his name onto one of the dungeon pillars — where visitors can still see it today.

A castle of art and beauty

Above the dungeons, Chillon is full of beautiful rooms: great halls with painted ceilings and grand fireplaces, bedchambers, a chapel, and courtyards. Walking through them, visitors can imagine the life of the Savoy counts who feasted and ruled here. The combination of grim dungeon below and splendid halls above tells the whole story of a medieval castle in one building.

Switzerland's favourite castle

After the region passed out of Savoy hands, Chillon was used as a fortress, an arsenal and a prison, before being recognised as a precious historic treasure. Carefully restored, it has become the most visited historic building in all of Switzerland, beloved by travellers from around the world.

Visiting today

Visitors cross the little bridge onto the island and explore the castle from its shadowy dungeons up through its painted halls and chambers to its towers and battlements, with the lake and mountains framing every view. Few castles anywhere enjoy so magical a setting. Romantic, beautiful and made immortal by poetry, the Château de Chillon is the jewel of Lake Geneva.