Château de La Corbière

About

The castle of La Corbière (Corberia, castrum Corberie in the 13th century) was a former castle, probably from the middle of the 12th century, today ruined, located on the commune of Challex, in the department of Ain in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Location: The fortress of La Corbière, located on the banks of the Rhone, quickly became a possession of the Count of Geneva, in Terre de Gex. It thus forms with its territory a Geneva enclave in the Barony of Gex. It was about 1.5 km south-east of the village of Challex, located on a molass promontory (510 m), overlooking the Rhone, on the right bank. Its position placed it in front of the village of Épeisses (Swiss commune of Avully), in the county of Geneva. The Notice on the family and the Corbiere castle (1874) insists on this strategic position on the Rhône since "Thanks to the angle that the river at La Corbière makes, one can at a glance see everything that happens on the waters and on the banks, both above and below the castle". The castle will also defend a bridge over the Rhone, which allowed to reach the county of Geneva, via the village Episses and its strong house.