The Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard stands on a 656-foot (200-meter) rock above Lake Annecy, about 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) south of Annecy in Haute-Savoie. A first fortress, a simple wooden guard post, was built around 923, and Bernard of Menthon was born in the castle in 1008. The Menthon family, who came from Burgundy, have occupied it since 1180 and built its three large square towers.
It began as a medieval fortress, became a residence in the fifteenth century and was restyled from 1860 to 1890 under Count René de Menthon in the manner of Viollet-le-Duc. It has 105 rooms on four levels, a great hall of about 1,076 square feet (100 square meters) with lake views, and a library of over 12,000 works printed before 1800.
It is open to the public from May to September and was listed as a monument historique in 1989.
Comments