Château de Montrottier

Lovagny

Built on a rocky spur overlooking the Gorges du Fier and one of the rare crossings that then allowed this impetuous torrent to be passed, the château de Montrottier adopts a pentagonal plan unusual in Haute-Savoie. Its oldest part, the Tour des Religieuses, goes back to the 13th century; the residential buildings were added in the 14th century and the keep that dominates the whole dates from the 15th century. Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy stayed in the stronghold between 1425 and 1427, before the de Menthon family became its owners from 1427 until the French Revolution. Having lost its defensive role, the château became the residence of several notable families: that of the Swiss general Guillaume-Henri Dufour from 1799 to 1839, then the de Rochette and Frèrejean families, industrialists from Lyon. In 1906 the collector Léon Marès acquired it and gathered there a remarkable collection of armour, tapestries, ivories and enamels brought back from his travels; on his death in 1916 he bequeathed the estate and its collections to the Académie Florimontane of Annecy. Recognised as a Musée de France in 2003, Montrottier is visited today together with the Gorges du Fier, forming one of the most popular heritage ensembles around Annecy.

Getting there : Open to visitors from April to October, about 8 km north-west of Annecy; car park on site, the visit is often combined with the neighbouring Gorges du Fier.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound