Château d'Yvoire, Yvoire, France

Built from 1306 during the village fortification by the Comte de Savoie Amédée V, Yvoire castle had a military goal to watch the navigation and control the road which linked Geneva to the high valley of the Rhône and to Italy.

For several centuries, the village of Yvoire was in the center of several strategic or religious wars between France, Bern, Geneva as well as the houses of Faucigny, Dauphiné and Savoie.

In 1591, a fire devastated the building which only found its shape back in the 20th century, when Félix Bouvier of Yvoire undertook several internal and external renovation works, like the roof and the watch towers setting in 1939.

References:

yvoire-france.com

User Reviews

Shawn Zents (2 years ago)
What an amazing, very walkable town. Very friendly locals, beautiful shops, and food is incredible. I miss it already!

Melissa Warren-Garcia (2 years ago)
Very charming, even in winter. A lot of shops and restaurants were closed due to it being low season, but we had a nice stroll along the lake side and port.

Iván Serrano (3 years ago)
Very beautiful but the entrance is not allowed.

Alfie Fort (3 years ago)
Wonderful medieval place for an afternoon out by the lake.

Paula Elliott (4 years ago)
Beautiful picturesque village for strolling, eating, shopping and tail wagging. (Very dog friendly! )

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

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Angelokastro

Angelokastro is a Byzantine castle on the island of Corfu. It is located at the top of the highest peak of the island"s shoreline in the northwest coast near Palaiokastritsa and built on particularly precipitous and rocky terrain. It stands 305 m on a steep cliff above the sea and surveys the City of Corfu and the mountains of mainland Greece to the southeast and a wide area of Corfu toward the northeast and northwest.

Angelokastro is one of the most important fortified complexes of Corfu. It was an acropolis which surveyed the region all the way to the southern Adriatic and presented a formidable strategic vantage point to the occupant of the castle.

Angelokastro formed a defensive triangle with the castles of Gardiki and Kassiopi, which covered Corfu"s defences to the south, northwest and northeast.

The castle never fell, despite frequent sieges and attempts at conquering it through the centuries, and played a decisive role in defending the island against pirate incursions and during three sieges of Corfu by the Ottomans, significantly contributing to their defeat.

During invasions it helped shelter the local peasant population. The villagers also fought against the invaders playing an active role in the defence of the castle.

The exact period of the building of the castle is not known, but it has often been attributed to the reigns of Michael I Komnenos and his son Michael II Komnenos. The first documentary evidence for the fortress dates to 1272, when Giordano di San Felice took possession of it for Charles of Anjou, who had seized Corfu from Manfred, King of Sicily in 1267.

From 1387 to the end of the 16th century, Angelokastro was the official capital of Corfu and the seat of the Provveditore Generale del Levante, governor of the Ionian islands and commander of the Venetian fleet, which was stationed in Corfu.

The governor of the castle (the castellan) was normally appointed by the City council of Corfu and was chosen amongst the noblemen of the island.

Angelokastro is considered one of the most imposing architectural remains in the Ionian Islands.

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