Guide and hotels for Annecy

Chateau d’Annecy

Listed as a historical monument by the French Ministry of Culture, the restored castle dominates the old French town of Annecy. Today after seeing more than 5 centuries of history, the castle has been transformed into a museum.

 

History

The castle was built between the 12^th and 16^th centuries. It served as the residence of the Counts of Geneva and the Dukes of Genevois-Nemours. Several times the victim of fires, the castle was abandoned in the 17th century and later repaired to serve as barracks until 1947. The town of Annecy acquired the castle in 1953, restored it with the help of Monuments Historiques program and transformed it into a museum.

Since 1993, the Tower and the Logis Perrière have housed an observatory, the Regional Observatory of alpine lakes.

 

Description

The Queen’s Tower is the oldest part of the castle, dating from the 12^th century, with walls over 4 m thick. Other notable parts of the castle are: the Vieux Logis, the Logis Nemours and the Logis Neuf. From the castle terrace there is a view over the old town with its narrow streets and decorated roofs.

The museum can be found in the Logis Vieux and the Logis Nemours. The observatory is in the Tower and the Logis Perrière.