Ruins of the Château Saint-Michel

The Ruins of the Château Saint-Michel, also known as Château Saint-Michel-du-Lac, stand on a rocky spur at 870 m altitude, above the Hameau du Lac, in the Les Houches area on the edge of Servoz. Between 1289 and 1399, Béatrice de Faucigny, daughter of Baron Aymon II and heiress to the Faucigny, had this fortress built to defend access to the priory lands under her protection at the entrance to the Chamonix valley.

The castle comprised a main body of around 30 m by 13 m and a southern tower about 14 m high, built in the mountain fortification tradition: thick rubble-stone walls bound with lime mortar, a massive timber frame covered with wooden shingles. Today only a section of wall pierced by four arrow slits and the base of the tower remain, lost in a beautiful mixed forest.

The site is freely accessible on foot via a trail starting between Servoz station and the Fontaine car park; a forest orienteering course makes the walk fun for families. Stories and legends (hidden treasure, ghosts) still surround the place — a historical stop at the foot of the Mont Blanc massif.