The Castle of Hermance

24 April 2022

The area around the village of Hermance (canton of Geneva) was part of the domain of the kings of Upper Burgundy (888-1032) until around the year 1000. It passed into the hands of a local dynasty.

The 13th-century village is divided into an upper and a lower section (bourg d’en-bas). The “upper town (bourg d’en-haut) was built on a small eminence.

Although some parts of the ramparts have been preserved, the original town has disappeared. The “lower village” extended as far as the lake.

A large part of this medieval village remains. The town walls and houses can still be seen today. In some places, the walls were flanked by semi-circular towers. The castle and its donjon stood at the top of the hill. The donjon is the symbol of Hermance today.

The small town is the frontier with France nowadays, but with the Duchy of Savoy, part of the Kingdom of Piemonte-Sardegna until 1860.

(Source: swisscastles.ch)