Blonay Castle is a castle in the municipality of Blonay of the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.[1]

Blonay Castle
Schloss Blonay
Blonay
Blonay Castle
Blonay Castle is located in Canton of Vaud
Blonay Castle
Blonay Castle
Blonay Castle is located in Switzerland
Blonay Castle
Blonay Castle
Coordinates46°28′10″N 6°53′24″E / 46.46944°N 6.89000°E / 46.46944; 6.89000
CodeCH-VD
Height644 m above the sea
Site information
Conditionpreserved
Site history
Built1175
Blonay town with Blonay Castle in the background

History

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The castle was built in 1175, by William II of Blonay (died 1197), a ministerialis in Savoy, on the site of a fortified structure that dated from 1095. It has served as the Blonay family seat since that time, aside from a brief interruption in the 18th century.

The oldest remaining portion of the structure is the sturdy, square castle keep, which has been strengthened, and seen a row of buildings attached to create another courtyard. Only two of four towers remain, around an irregular rectangular plan. There is a forecourt with a Renaissance-style loggia, from 1677 on the western edge, and a chapel dating from the 15th century, with stained glass windows from 1577. Residential quarters built between the 18th and 20th centuries have undergone renovations and alterations. By the 19th century, a moat had been filled in.

Gustave Courbet created a painting of the castle in about 1875, during the artist's self-imposed exile from France, living in neighboring La Tour-de-Peilz.

 
The Chateau of Blonay (snow) by Gustave Courbet, ca. 1875. Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance". A-Objects. Federal Office for Cultural Protection (BABS). 1 January 2017. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2017.

Further reading

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Maxime Reymond, Marc-André Genevey et Pierre de Blonay. Fondation du château de Blonay, 1984

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  Media related to Schloss Blonay at Wikimedia Commons – Sammlung von Bildern, Videos und Audiodateien