Le Château Chillon, Montreux, Switzerland

[ Eastern view of castle ]

Outside view of Le Château Chillon, Montreux, Swizterland

The island where Chillon stands was used in the Bronze Age and later by the Romans. The first wall, whose original date was unknown, was enlarged and rebuilt in the 11th to 13th centuries.

The castle originally belonged to the Bishops of Sion, and was later held in fief by the Counts of Savoy, beginning in the 12th century. The castle was captured by the Swiss (Bernese) in 1536 who used it as a depot, armory, and residence for their bailiffs. The castle became the property of the Canton of Vaud in 1798, after the Vaudois Reovlution. Restoration work began on the castle in the 19th century, which was made easier by documents found in the archives which contained the dates of a large amount of the work carried out since the end of the 12th century.

From here, you can continue along the front wall of the castle, or you can go to the keep, the moat, or the vaults.