Menthon-Saint-Bernard, commonly referred to simply as Menthon, is a commune on the eastern shore of Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. In 2018, it had a population of 1,884.
At the waterfront of Lake Annecy in the commune of Menthon-Saint-Bernard, traces of prehistoric and later Gallo-Roman occupation have been found. Over the next centuries, at the foot of the Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard, a few hamlets evolved.
Menthon-Saint-Bernard has become a noted resort place since the late 19th century because of its thermal baths, already in use in the Roman era and later under the Société des Bains de Menthon, as well as its proximity to Annecy and the mountain settlements of Manigod, La Clusaz, La Croix Fry and Le Grand-Bornand. One of the most noted hotels in Menthon-Saint-Bernard, the Palace de Menthon, is housed in a waterfront building opened in 1906 by the Gruffaz brothers.
The Château de Menthon is standing on a 200 metres (660 ft) tall rock, its stone towers loom over Lake Annecy, the Roc de Chère National Nature Reserve, and Menthon-Saint-Bernard. Since 1989, it has been listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
The castle has 105 rooms on four levels and spreads over several hundred square metres. Visitors can admire beautifully furnished rooms, in particular the Countess's Bedroom, 13th century kitchens and the great hall, admirably decorated with pictures and antique furniture dated between the 16th and 19th centuries, Louis XIII and Louis XIV furniture, a Gobelins tapestry from 1730 and others from Aubusson.
The library contains more than 12,000 works from before 1800, including incunabulum and ancient manuscripts written on parchment, sheepskin or goatskin, with painted illuminations from monks of the Middle Ages. The bulk of the books date from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
The castle is open from May to September. In summer, the visit is augmented by a troop of actors who relive the past of the castle. Each year there are some 40,000 visitors.
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