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Its location is work-related erosion Proud, descended the Mont Charvin, carving deep gorges natural.
This is above the Gorges du Fier, at Lovagny, this castle was built between the 13th and 15th century.
This is a pentagonal fortress whose plan is arranged around a cylindrical tower with battlements.
The oldest buildings date from the 13th century, the others belong to the 15th.
Despite the revisions, the castle of Montrottier still preserves significant elements of medieval military architecture.
Isolated on a rockey spur and protected (northward by the " Great Pit", bed of the river "Fier" in the Quaternary, the Nunns Towe, dates back to the XIIIth century and has some architectural caracteristics of a "maison forte", without being one, strictly speaking. Thus this tower is the oldest part of the castle, castle which took shape over the centuries.
Indeed, it's in the XIVth century that the turret (with corner) was built, turret which shelters a spiral staircase.
The knights dwelling, the earls'dwelling, the curtain wall and the keep date back to the XVth century.
From Jean de Montrottier in the XIII th century to the Académie Florimontane nowadays, the castle belonged to different owners, among those, the most famous were :
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Pierre de Menthon, adviser and ambassador of Amedée VIII th, first duke of Savoy. His family owned the castle fromthe XV th century to the French revolution time
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Général Guillaume Henry Dufour, citizen of Geneva, an engineer, engineer in topography and a Swiss political man(beginning of the XIX th century).
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Baroness de Rochette who made important reconstructions and restaurations(middle of the XIX th century).
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Victor Frèrejean, an industrial man from Lyon(end of the XIX th century).
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Léon Marès, the prodigious "collector of collections", who, in 1916, bequeathed the property to the "Florimontane" Academy (a scholarly company created in Annecy in 1606 by Saint Françcois de Sales and his friend the lawyer Antoine Faure, father of the famous grammarian Vaugelas)
The visit of the castle has been possible since 1919.
From left to right: : Général Dufour, Victor Frèrejean and Léon Marès.
The castle houses a remarkable collection of furniture, pottery, lace, weapons, rare objects from Africa and the Far East,brought together by Leo Mares, one of the last great collectors of the late 19th century, and four bas-reliefs bronzemasterpieces and Hans Peter Vischer of Nuremberg, 16th century founders.
