Chillon Castle appears like something from a fairy tale. Standing on a small oval rocky island on the edge of Lac Léman or Lake Geneva as it's also known, between the Swiss towns of Montreux and Villeneuve, Chillon Castle looks like something from a fantasy picture story.

However, Chillon Castle is no fantasy, it has stood for almost 1,000 years and takes its name from the islet on which it stands. 'Chillon' meaning 'rocky platform' which measures just 110 metres long by 45 metres at its widest point, and for some it's reminiscent of a ship.

Switzerland boasts over 500 castles and fortresses and Chillon Castle is one of the most visited castles in the land. That's not just because it is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe, but because of its fame brought about by poets, writers and artists throughout the 18^th and 19^th centuries who were inspired by its beauty – and its dark history.

From the 11^th to the 16^th century Chillon Castle was the domain of the powerful Counts of Savoy with the castle becoming an important administrative and financial centre – in effect a toll station for passing ships on Lake Geneva and the traders' land route to the St Bernard Pass.

This wealth allowed the Counts to expand, fortify, renovate and lavishly decorate the castle buildings and courtyards, transforming it into a princely residence suitable for nobility and events of pageantry.

The underground cellars, used originally as storerooms for supplies and weapons were later used as prisons where hundreds of men and women were incarcerated. tortured and executed – many hundreds of women were burnt at the stake in the courtyards as witches.

While the torturous cries of those who suffered within these walls have long since faded away, so the architecture remains as it always has. The cellar floors are simply the untouched stone of the island that the castle was built upon – rough and rocky, and care must be taken as you explore. While the vaulted ceilings and seven stone pillars give the impression of a grand Gothic cathedral.

 Daylight streaks in through glassless barred windows. The view is breathtaking of calm silvery grey waters of Lake Geneva and beyond magnificent snow peaked mountains. But for the prisoners chained to the stone pillars for years on end they would have known the bitterly cold wind, rain and snow that blew in through those open windows.

The hangman's gallows remain as a terrible reminder of darker times. There's a charcoal drawing of Christ's crucifixion on one wall that dates from the mid-15^th century, no one knows who drew it or the fate of that artist. However, the most famous prisoner was Francois de Bonivard, a Genevois monk and politician who was imprisoned for four years for defending his homeland from the dukes of Savoy. For those four years he was chained to a stone pillar and could pace only as far as his chain would allow. The chain and the rut worn into the stone are still visible.

It was Francois de Bonivard's plight that inspired the poet Lord Byron to write his famous poem, The Prisoner of Chillon. George Gordon Noel Byron had taken a five month stay in Switzerland from May to October in 1816. His companions were his physician, Dr. John Polidori, his mistress Claire Claremont, Claire's stepsister Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and her lover, the poet, Percy Shelley, who she later married to become the famous Mary Shelley author of the classic novel Frankenstein. Which incidentally was also sparked during this Swiss vacation.

The visit to Chillon Castle and the story of the prisoner Francois de Bonivard struck a chord with Byron, inspiring him to write the poem. It seems he also inscribed his name in a stone pillar. Not everyone believes it to be genuine. Nevertheless, the poem and his feelings surrounding Chillon Castle inspired other romantic writers and artists to visit it for themselves. A trend that continues to this day, with the castle receiving around 400,000 visitors each year.

Within the castle walls are four cobblestone courtyards, no longer used for burning witches at the stake but for pageants and events. There's the 'lower courtyard, the Castellan's Courtyard, the Courtyard of Honour and the Curtain-wall Courtyard.

 Explore its three Great Halls, used for banquets, entertaining and where justice was metered out. There's the Aula Magna Hall, the Castellan's Dining Hall and the Domus Clericorum. Within these rooms are incredible stone fireplaces, black marble columns and beautiful wood panelled ceilings.

There's even a bathing cubical and latrines which feed down into the lake. Wander through the bedrooms with their four-poster beds – from the humble Bernese chamber to the Count of Savoy's luxurious bedroom, the Camera Domini. Another room has a handsome walnut wardrobe and a large ceramic stove for hot water, installed in the early 17^th century.

You will also notice the collection of ornate wooden chests. There are 80-pieces not all of which are on display. Most date from the 17^th and 18^th centuries but some date back to Gothic times and the Roman era.

The castle delights in its own St. George Chapel which was the private chapel of the counts and dukes of savoy. Of special interest are the 14^th century paintings which escaped the Reformation.

But of course, it's the views from the castle windows and ramparts of the spectacular Lake Geneva, its snow-capped mountain ranges and the landscape that take your breath away. Beautiful and inspirational – as Lord Byron himself would tell you.

Château de Chillon
Avenue de Chillon 21
1820 Veytaux
021 966 89 10
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Discover more: https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-gb/experiences/chillon-castle/