Annecy Castle

You’re standing in front of the Château d’Annecy, overlooking the old town on the hillside. Strategically placed to overlook the entire plain, it was used to monitor movements on the road between Geneva and Italy. The origins of this ancient medieval fortress are uncertain, but we do know that it was the residence of the Counts of Geneva in the 13th and 14th centuries, at the beginning of the 15th century it passed into the Savoy family inheritance. Home to many influential families over time, the castle has been at the centre of many conflicts, political negotiations and other historical events. These include a visit from Philippe le Hardi, Duke of Burgundy, the birth of the future Pope Clement VII, a sumptuous banquet in honour of Henri IV and a brief stay of Louis XIII and Richelieu following the capture of the fortress during a new conflict between France and Savoy. Burned down and rebuilt several times, the fortress has undergone numerous renovations. Each family has done its own thing to suit the needs of the time, giving it that strange look, half defensive, half elegant. If you enter the place, you’ll discover several buildings whose architecture evolves according to the period in which they were built. The most emblematic is undoubtedly the imposing square donjon you see. This is the Queen’s Tower. It is said that it was used as a prison for a queen, hence its name, but in reality, this imposing tower, built between the 13th and 15th centuries, was used to protect the southern face of the fortress, which was also the most exposed. You’ll also see the Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul towers, which protect the “Vieux-Logis”, the main living quarters of the castle. There’s even a 40-metre deep well that reaches down to the lake level and supplies the castle with water. The site remained a residence for several centuries before being used as military barracks until 1947! Too large, too cold and difficult to heat, the army abandoned the castle. The town of Annecy bought it back a few years later to turn it into a museum. Now listed as a historic monument, the museum promotes the region’s heritage and houses permanent and temporary exhibitions as well as the Alpine Lakes Observatory.