Of Water and Cheese in Switzerland — Cheateau de Chillon

At the shore of Lake Geneva stands the beautiful Château de Chillon (prounounced SHEE-on). On this sunny day we went to Vevey to visit the Chillon Castle. Château de Chillon has a colorful history. Its development from a border outpost to its current stately presence was inextricably intertwined with its location and regional history. Chillon began as a Roman outpost. The Romans chose this location as a strategic decision. Northward, the route goes toward France and Germany. At the same time, the castle is at a location that stands on the route South to Italy. Officials at Chillon collected toll fees from all through traffic.


Over the course of a few hundred years, the outpost was controlled by different authorities. These few hundred years, particularly during the 13th to 15th century, was also the time necessary for the construction of the Castle. The outpost served increasingly important functions in commerce, politics and defense. The Savoy, the Bernese and the Vaudois exercised influence over the castle in its later history.



The Savoy period is worth a special mention because they were the ones that extended significant influence with Chillon as its administrative seat. The Savoyards acquired enormous financial gains from the toll, taxes, international trade and terrestrial expansion that they developed in the Chillon area. With this the counts of Savoy, most notably Pierre (1268) and Phillippe (1285), made architectural improvements to the Castle. It was with these developments that the Savoyard extended their influence into the Vaud region.

As it serves a military purpose, the castle acquired structures of defense. For example, in the 11th century, there was only the lower part of the keep, the inner curtain wall and the glacis. By the 13th century, the Savoyards have added the outer curtain wall and three round watch towers in order to improve defense.

The castle's history has drawn many famous people to the castle, particularly literary figures. Lord Byron, for example, visited the dungeon and carved his name onto the pillar. The muses were at work and thereafter he wrote the poem The Prisoner of Chillon, referring to Francois Bonivard, who was kept here as a political prisoner.




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Post by Helen Yu (Chestnut Journal) | Feb 9, 2025