CHATEAU BATIAZ
Castle Ruins Of Martigny in the Valais
The fortress ruins of Chateau Batiaz stand on a prominent hillside watching over the town of Martigny and the Rhone River as it winds through the valley of southern Switzerland. The edifice is noted for its single great round tower. The foundations of a fortification date back as early as the 11th Century, but the tower and present configuration the Chateau Batiaz were formed in the 13th Century. The castle is readily viewed from the Martigny rail station where the main line train connects with the Mont Blanc Express train from Switzerland to Chamonix in France and the Saint Bernard Express in the Val d’Entremont.
The name Batiaz comes from the Latin word “bastida” meaning fortification, and its purpose never went much beyond that. The fortress as seen today was constructed on order of the Bishop of Sion in the early 13th Century, but much of its history is related to the fortunes of the House of Savoy. In 1266 the castle came under siege by Count Peter II of Savoy, sometimes nicknamed “Little Charlemagne”. He was the seventh son of Thomas I of Savoy and Marguerite of Geneva and the uncle to Eleanor of Provence, Queen Consort of the Plantagenet English king, Henry III. Peter was made the 1st Earl of Richmond and built a castle in London where the Savoy Hotel now stands. When his nephew Boniface died without heir, Peter succeeded to the lands of Savoy in the Alpine regions of France, and claimed the lands of the Italian Piedmont. In 1266, he launched a campaign to regain lands to the north of Lake Geneva (the Vaud) then held by Rudolf of Hapsburg. The campaign was successful as Rudolf was more focused at the time on fighting the Prussians as he was claiming the German crown. 1268, the Savoy Count signed a peace treaty with the Bishop of Sion, with the castle becoming property of Sion. The castle was rebuilt with the tower dungeon completed by Rudolphe Chandra.
The Savoys extended their land holdings in 1401 with the acquisition of the county of Geneva and when granted the status of Duchy under the German king in 1416 pushed the boundaries of Savoy further into the Valais and seized the Batiaz fortress from the Bishops of Sion. The castle suffered a devastating fire in 1518 in a civil war for control of the Valais between George Supersaxo and his rival for the Bishopric of Sion, Matthew Shiner, later a Cardinal who just lost out on a bid to be named Pope. The castle was not rebuilt after the fire and siege of the early 16th Century and has remained mostly in its current state with a restoration as a public monument in 1980. The entrance to the castle itself is across a wooden footbridge in place a former drawbridge defense.
Visiting Chateau Batiaz Martigny
The castle can be reached by tourist train from the main square at center of the village of Martigny in the summer months, or by foot from the railway station, requiring a rather steep hike up a winding pathway. The castle features Siege Engine shows with 6 different war machines including a Trebuchet a Couillard, and a Mangonel Catapult. Access to the top of the tower is allowed during the primary season (spring, summer and early fall). Open hours are July and August, Monday to Thursday from 2pm to 6pm, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 6pm. May/June and September/October May, June, closed during the week, open Friday to Sunday 11 am to 6pm. A blue flag flies when the castle is open. Admission to the dungeon tower and the history film are free. Reserved seating for the siege engine shows is 50 CHF. The tourist train from town is 2 CHF for adults and 1 CHF for children 6-15 years. There is a small restaurant in the tower. © Bargain
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Chateau Batiaz
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