0:00:03 > 0:00:06I'm embarking on a new railway adventure that will take me across
0:00:06 > 0:00:09the heart of Europe.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel for the British tourist.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23It told travellers where to go,
0:00:23 > 0:00:28what to see and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks
0:00:28 > 0:00:29crisscrossing the continent.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Now, a century later,
0:00:31 > 0:00:36I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45I want to rediscover that lost Europe that, in 1913,
0:00:45 > 0:00:50couldn't know that its way of life would shortly be swept aside by the
0:00:50 > 0:00:53advent of war.
0:01:06 > 0:01:12I'm following one of my guidebook's recommended journeys to Switzerland,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16a country whose roots date back to 1291.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Renowned for its breathtaking scenery and invigorating air,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24it's home to four different languages
0:01:24 > 0:01:27united under a single flag.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32A traveller in Switzerland a century ago using a Bradshaw's Guide might
0:01:32 > 0:01:37be here to climb a mountain, buy a watch, or open a bank account,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39just as today.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42But in 1913, war loomed.
0:01:42 > 0:01:48Would this country's famous neutrality be respected or would its values be
0:01:48 > 0:01:53used as a short cut by Germany and France to attack one another?
0:01:54 > 0:01:59These were the great political questions as Europe slithered down
0:01:59 > 0:02:01the slippery slope to Armageddon.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15I start my journey in the south of the country,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18high up in the Alps in Zermatt, then
0:02:18 > 0:02:21head into the beautiful valleys and
0:02:21 > 0:02:24lake shores to visit the Swiss Riviera at Montreux.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30From there, I move north-east to the centre of the country and the
0:02:30 > 0:02:32capital, Bern.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37It's then only a short hop to Biel or Bienne - the heart of watchmaking.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41I'll end my journey on the shores of Lake Geneva.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48This time, I learn about the conquest of the Alps...
0:02:48 > 0:02:51You know, the Matterhorn at that time, it was untouched.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55And most people thought it's not climbable.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59..Visit the Swiss birthplace of Stravinsky's great work.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01It's really primitive music.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03A violent piece and a violent reaction.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06'And put my faith in St Bernard...'
0:03:06 > 0:03:07Michael Portillo's the name.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10- OK.- Last seen somewhere in the Alps.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21My first stop will be Zermatt.
0:03:21 > 0:03:27According to Bradshaw's, "A village 5,315 feet above sea,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31"almost surrounded by lofty peaks and glaciers,
0:03:31 > 0:03:36"sometimes described as the very centre of the Alps."
0:03:36 > 0:03:41In the 19th century, the British were gripped by a spirit of adventure,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44an urge to explore and to prevail.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49And many of those lofty peaks were first conquered by teams that included
0:03:49 > 0:03:54British climbers who devoted their lives to Alpinism.
0:03:54 > 0:03:55When I arrive at Zermatt,
0:03:55 > 0:04:02I shall be close to the most recognisable and forbidding of the Alps, the deadly Matterhorn.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08It's important to remember that,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11until the second half of the 19th century,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15this majestic mountain wilderness at the heart of the world's most
0:04:15 > 0:04:19densely populated continent remained largely inaccessible.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24That began to change with the arrival of the railways.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28British mountaineers,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32who would have taken 16 days to travel from London to these
0:04:32 > 0:04:34dangerous, unclimbed peaks,
0:04:34 > 0:04:35could arrive in just three,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39and the golden age of mountaineering was born.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49The Alpine town of Zermatt, nestling in the Matter Valley,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51is the gateway to these magnificent mountains.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Today, it's famous as a ski resort
0:04:54 > 0:04:58but at the time of the early mountaineers,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00it was a small village of only 400 people.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05The Alps really could have been designed to teach man humility.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10Surrounded by these mountains, you feel small and insignificant.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16These peaks created a craze which
0:05:16 > 0:05:19led to an influx of intrepid British adventurers.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29And in order to carry them closer to the Matterhorn,
0:05:29 > 0:05:34the indomitable Swiss railway engineers built the Gornergrat cog railway.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- Hello, Chris.- Hello. - Great to see you.- Nice to meet you.
0:05:42 > 0:05:43I'm Michael.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47'I'm meeting Chris, who works for this remarkable railway.'
0:05:48 > 0:05:49My Bradshaw's says,
0:05:49 > 0:05:54"The railway up from Zermatt to Gornergrat commands the grandest view obtainable
0:05:54 > 0:05:57"in the Alps of the world of ice and snow."
0:05:57 > 0:06:01So this railway was already built before 1913?
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Yes, it was 15 years before.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08This is extraordinary because many of the Alps were only climbed for
0:06:08 > 0:06:12the first time in the 19th century, yet by the end of the 19th century
0:06:12 > 0:06:15the Swiss are able to build railways to the tops of mountains.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19Yes. The cog railways were invented in 1860, about.
0:06:19 > 0:06:25The first were in America and the Gornergrat Bahn was then 1898.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28From the beginning, it was an electric cog wheel and not with
0:06:28 > 0:06:31steam, and our grand-grandfathers, they really were
0:06:31 > 0:06:34experts and pioneers.
0:06:34 > 0:06:41The Gornergrat trains operate on gradients as steep as 20%
0:06:41 > 0:06:46using a cog that grips a racked rail running between the tracks.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50The traveller in 1913 would have marvelled at the engineering and
0:06:50 > 0:06:58been treated on a clear day to an awe-inspiring view across 29 peaks exceeding 4,000 metres.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Is that the Matterhorn appearing there?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03That would be the Matterhorn, yes.
0:07:03 > 0:07:064,478 metres above sea level.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10The queen of the mountains.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Although I'm a plucky sort of fellow in fine physical condition with
0:07:18 > 0:07:20tremendous stamina,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25it's a huge relief that the changeable weather scuppers any chance of a summit bid.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I'm meeting Benedikt Perren,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38who is directly descended from two of the guides who made the first
0:07:38 > 0:07:41ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44- Hello, Benedikt.- Hi, Michael.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- Nice to meet you up here.- Good to see you and a great place to meet.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48Great spot, yes.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Why do you think that the British were such keen mountain climbers
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- here in the Alps?- You know, the British were used to travel
0:07:55 > 0:08:02and the British had the money to travel and they realised that there
0:08:02 > 0:08:04is a lot of first ascents to do
0:08:04 > 0:08:07and they were very keen to reach that goal.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10What was so special about the Matterhorn?
0:08:10 > 0:08:12You know, the Matterhorn, at that time,
0:08:12 > 0:08:18it was untouched and most people in Zermatt thought it's not climbable.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23Tell me about the first successful conquest of the Matterhorn.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25You know, we had four British climbers,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28all four members of British Alpine Club.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33This fearless group comprised Edward Whymper who, at 25,
0:08:33 > 0:08:38had already made seven unsuccessful attempts, Lord Francis Douglas,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42the Reverend Charles Hudson, and the novice of the group, Douglas Hadow.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48They were joined by Alpine guides Michel Croz, and Benedikt's relatives,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Peter Taugwalder and his son, also called Peter.
0:08:54 > 0:09:00They set off at 5:30 on a brilliant and perfectly cloudless morning and
0:09:00 > 0:09:03a day later, after an incident-free climb,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05they arrived 200 feet below the summit.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10Whymper wanted to be the first on the summit.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13He and Michel Croz, their French guide,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16the two of them did run up to the summit and the others,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19they followed probably 20 minutes later.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Whymper had done what everyone thought was impossible.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24He'd conquered the Matterhorn.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Whymper and the two Taugwalders, they stood a bit longer on the summit.
0:09:30 > 0:09:31Probably half an hour later,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35the three of them did start their way down and they caught up with the
0:09:35 > 0:09:37other four very quick.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44On the way down, it was Hadow...
0:09:46 > 0:09:53..who slipped and started to fall and the rope was not strong enough
0:09:53 > 0:09:54and then it...
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- How do you say?- Snapped. - It snapped, yes.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Four climbers fell down the whole north face.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04A momentous tragedy, a terrible loss of life.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Yes, that was a big tragedy.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Out of the party that climbed the mountain,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12only Whymper and the two Taugwalders escaped with their lives.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Climbing equipment in the 1860s was rudimentary.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Is this the sort of boot that Hadow had?
0:10:19 > 0:10:20Yes, exactly a boot like that.
0:10:20 > 0:10:26The only hold you've got is these nails here and that was basically
0:10:26 > 0:10:29the reason why he started to slide, you know.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Really, you think Hadow was killed, and the others too,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34because of a defective boot?
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Yeah, you know, that was one of the main reasons.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41Hadow was basically not a very experienced climber.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44On the other hand, he was not very well equipped.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Despite your family's involvement in that tragedy,
0:10:47 > 0:10:48you have climbed the Matterhorn.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50How many times?
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Right now, I've been 250 times on the summit.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57That's extraordinary. What's it like to be at the top of the Matterhorn?
0:10:57 > 0:10:58Great, you know.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03You are surrounded by all the big mountains of the Alps and you have a
0:11:03 > 0:11:09very good panoramic view and very emotional moments up there.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14Even today's climbers treat the Matterhorn with the utmost respect
0:11:14 > 0:11:18because, despite many triumphs, about 500 lives have been lost.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26And for Whymper, the tragedy cast a shadow over the rest of his life.
0:11:26 > 0:11:32He wrote, "Climb if you will but remember that courage and strength
0:11:32 > 0:11:36"are naught without prudence and that a momentary negligence
0:11:36 > 0:11:39"may destroy the happiness of a lifetime".
0:11:43 > 0:11:50I'm heading to safer ground and descending more than 2,500 metres to the valley below.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Wherever I go in Switzerland,
0:11:54 > 0:11:59I am astonished by the quality of the railway civil engineering.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02We are now passing through the Kipfen Gorge.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06The Swiss really managed to tame their mountains.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And when you think that so much of this was done during the 19th century
0:12:09 > 0:12:13and that many of these lines have been electrified for more than a
0:12:13 > 0:12:15century, it adds to the sense of wonder.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18They didn't do this by steam-rolling public opinion.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20In this extraordinary democracy,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24many of the most important things are settled by referendum.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28I'm arriving in the town of Visp
0:12:28 > 0:12:32where I'll be able to admire more examples of Swiss railway building.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I'm catching a connection to Martigny,
0:12:35 > 0:12:40cultural capital of the French-speaking Canton of Valais.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Bradshaw's tells me that, "Near Martigny
0:12:42 > 0:12:45"is the Hospice of the Great St Bernard,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49"whose monks assist travellers in the dangers from storm and
0:12:49 > 0:12:53"avalanche, aided by their dogs.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57"One, called Barry, helped to save 14 persons."
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Martigny is at one end of the snowy, perilous,
0:13:08 > 0:13:1349-mile Great St Bernard Pass that links Switzerland to Italy.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18It's snow-free only for a couple of months in the summer and has been a
0:13:18 > 0:13:21treacherous route for travellers throughout history.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27SHE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:13:27 > 0:13:28Hello.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32'I've come to the Barry Foundation to meet Doris Kundig and the
0:13:32 > 0:13:35'descendants of St Bernard's famous Alpine mastiffs.'
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Doris, what was the origin of the story of the St Bernard dogs?
0:13:41 > 0:13:45The story of the St Bernard started at the Great St Bernard Pass
0:13:45 > 0:13:50where, in the 12th century, St Bernard founded a hospice.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54The canons up there started to have dogs.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58They first were used as working dogs and then soon,
0:13:58 > 0:14:04they found out about their ability to smell and to find the orientation.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08'The St Bernard's powerful sense of smell and resistance to cold
0:14:08 > 0:14:13'meant that over a 150-year period up to 2,000 people,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15'from lost children to Napoleon's soldiers,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18'were rescued by the heroic dogs,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21'and one in particular excelled.'
0:14:21 > 0:14:25Tell me about the original dog called Barry.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Well, this is our national hero, as to say.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32He lived between 1800 and 1812 at the hospice
0:14:32 > 0:14:35and he saved the lives of about 40 people.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37- 40?- 40, yeah.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42So he got very famous because of that because he seemed to be
0:14:42 > 0:14:46the one dog that really had the ability to find people,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49to rescue people or just to keep them away from danger.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54Although today, St Bernards are no longer used in rescues,
0:14:54 > 0:14:59the Foundation is keeping alive the original line with its 27 bitches
0:14:59 > 0:15:00and eight dogs.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03And how do you find working with St Bernards?
0:15:03 > 0:15:04What's the character of these dogs?
0:15:04 > 0:15:09Well, they are very lazy, they are very gentle,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12they are stubborn
0:15:12 > 0:15:15but they want to have a contact with people.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18And to preserve traditions,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22the Foundation always trains one dog in avalanche search and rescue.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32In the spirit of adventure, I've offered to be the buried victim.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35'Although it's spring here in the Alps,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38'there is an annual snowfall of ten metres.'
0:15:38 > 0:15:39Thank you.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41'And temperatures drop to minus 30.'
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Whoa! It's deep snow!
0:15:45 > 0:15:47- Hello, Daniel.- Michael.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49- You are welcome.- And who's this?
0:15:49 > 0:15:51- Easy.- Easy?
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Easy. A real St Bernard.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55'It takes three years to train a dog.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59'Here's hoping she's got something of the Barry about her.'
0:15:59 > 0:16:01What do I need to do? Just get in there?
0:16:01 > 0:16:02Yes, you go inside.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- Yes.- Then I give you the toy.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- The toy?- Yes, the toy, Easy's toy.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09- Oh, Easy's toy.- Yes.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11You can also play with it.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14One second. So I give you the toy.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15Thank you very much indeed.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17And I give you a little bit meat
0:16:17 > 0:16:21to say thank you to Easy that she will get you out.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23You won't forget about me, will you?
0:16:23 > 0:16:24Michael Portillo's the name.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- OK.- Last seen somewhere in the Alps.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34'Now, I know this doesn't look very scientific,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38'but Easy is only in the first year of her training.'
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Vas-y, vas-y, vas-y.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43'Time to put that nose to the test.'
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Easy! Help! Easy!
0:16:53 > 0:16:57'Hm. Easy has some way to go before she reaches Barry's standard.'
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Vas-y, vas-y, vas-y.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15'That's the toy, but what about me?'
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Peter, can you get me out of here, please?
0:17:18 > 0:17:19Ah!
0:17:19 > 0:17:21HE LAUGHS
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Nowadays, St Bernards don't bring brandy with them.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Mm.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29But when you've been in an avalanche for a while,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31this is exactly what you need.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41After all that excitement,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45I'm heading away from the high Alps to the Switzerland of the lakes.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49For 1913 travellers coming from industrialised countries,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53this pure and invigorating air must have been intoxicating.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57For the first part of my journey today,
0:17:57 > 0:18:02I'll be travelling along what Bradshaw's calls "The magnificent Rhone Valley".
0:18:02 > 0:18:06That river flows through Switzerland, entering Lac Leman near Montreux,
0:18:06 > 0:18:11exits at Geneva and then abandons Switzerland for France.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Can I help you? Let me pass that up to you.
0:18:19 > 0:18:20There we go.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Prochain arret St Mauritz.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Jusqu'a Montreux.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- Tres bien. Merci. Bon voyage. - Merci, monsieur.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48Montreux's dramatic location on the east side of Lake Geneva
0:18:48 > 0:18:52helped it in the late 19th century to become a famous holiday resort.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02It attracted celebrated residents and visitors, and became a feature
0:19:02 > 0:19:04of what was known as the Swiss Riviera.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14Few of those eminent visitors could predict that the world order was
0:19:14 > 0:19:18about to be torn apart by a Great War and a revolution in Russia.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24But in fact, well before that, developments in art -
0:19:24 > 0:19:27think of the paintings of Pablo Picasso -
0:19:27 > 0:19:32are already shaking the foundations of the pompous old empires.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34And in the world of music,
0:19:34 > 0:19:40the work of Igor Stravinsky is, in its way, as revolutionary as anything by
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Marx or Lenin, and threatened to bring the house down.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51In 1910, Stravinsky was a young,
0:19:51 > 0:19:56virtually unknown composer but his music for the ballet The Firebird
0:19:56 > 0:19:57was an overnight sensation.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Impresario Sergei Diaghilev swiftly commissioned him to write another.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12I'm meeting Isabel in Montreux's famous home of music.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Isabel, we are in the beautiful concert hall named after Igor Stravinsky.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Why did Stravinsky come to Montreux?
0:20:20 > 0:20:26Well, he first came here in 1910 because his wife was not very healthy and
0:20:26 > 0:20:29the temperature here in Montreux was better for her.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32What was it that Stravinsky achieved here in Montreux?
0:20:32 > 0:20:33Well, he wrote The Rite Of Spring.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40During the summer of 1911,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Stravinsky immersed himself in the piece, which appeared fundamentally
0:20:44 > 0:20:47at odds with the rest of the musical world.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50He finished it on 4th November, 1912,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and premiered it in Paris in 1913.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07The story concerns a prehistoric Russian tribe that celebrates
0:21:07 > 0:21:10the arrival of spring with a virgin sacrifice.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22Both Stravinsky's score and the choreography were so unexpected and
0:21:22 > 0:21:25avant-garde that a riot broke out in the audience.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33Some considered it an obscene subversion of all music's norms.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40It begins with a haunting refrain, played for me by Luca.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46HE PLAYS OPENING FROM RITE OF SPRING
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- Luca, thank you very much indeed. - Thank you.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Can you understand why it was so controversial?
0:22:10 > 0:22:15Well, it has to do with the harmony, with the dissonance.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17But also, it's very violent,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and Stravinsky used a lot of percussionists,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22I think four percussionists.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25It's really primitive music.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27A violent piece and a violent reaction?
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Yeah. Yeah, I think the first reactions were quite violent.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Stravinsky's Rite of Spring is now recognised as an important moment in
0:22:39 > 0:22:43the development of music in the 20th century.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48Every year, the composer features in the repertoire of Montreux's Classical Music Festival,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51acknowledging his influence.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53APPLAUSE
0:22:55 > 0:22:59While Montreux attracted composers and musicians,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03early 20th-century tourists were drawn to a lakeside medieval castle.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Chateau de Chillon, standing on the south-east end of the lake,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12owes its fame not so much to history as to literature.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Bonjour, Monsieur. Bonjour, Mademoiselle.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21In the early 19th century,
0:23:21 > 0:23:26the Romantic poets Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley met up in Geneva.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30They sailed around the lake and visited the chateau.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34As Bradshaw's remarks, the district is well served by steamer.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38I'm heading for the castle of Chillon, which, the guidebook
0:23:38 > 0:23:41tells me, "..is supposed to date from the ninth century
0:23:41 > 0:23:44"but the existing building is probably of the 13th."
0:23:44 > 0:23:47With its turrets and situated down on the water's edge,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51it is the sort of ultimate fairy tale castle.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54And it's appeared so often in literature
0:23:54 > 0:23:57that it is the quintessential Romantic monument.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Although Byron visited in 1816,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04almost a century before my guidebook,
0:24:04 > 0:24:09his fame was such that everywhere he had gone, crowds followed.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16On that trip, the castle inspired Byron to write his famous poem
0:24:16 > 0:24:18The Prisoner Of Chillon.
0:24:23 > 0:24:30I'm meeting guide Deborah Lockwood to find out more about this glamorised castle.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Well, I mean, this is just the most romantic castle.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36It could pop out of a fairy tale but it must have been built with a
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- serious purpose. What was that? - A very serious purpose.
0:24:39 > 0:24:45Actually, it was built to protect the road that passes right in front of Chillon Castle.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48You notice that it's very narrow between the mountain and the lake,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52and this road is thousands and thousands of years old.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59The castle was owned by the powerful and wealthy Savoy family,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02rulers and landowners in the area.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Now, this castle has been notorious as being a prison.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- Why so?- The Savoys were very authoritarian,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12there were lots of enemies, there was crime.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16And during the Bernese period, which would have been the 16th century,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20it was also used as a prison for witches.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Can we go down to the cells, to the dungeons,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24and discuss the famous Prisoner of Chillon?
0:25:24 > 0:25:27- Of course we can. Please follow me. - Take me below.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Now, careful with the steps because they are quite slippery.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40'The dungeon that Byron made famous was built in 1256 and the prisoner
0:25:40 > 0:25:44'who inspired his poem was locked up here in 1530.'
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Now, who was the Prisoner of Chillon?
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Well, his name was Francois Bonivard.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55He was the son of a small noble family of Savoy who lived near Geneva,
0:25:55 > 0:26:01and he was actually a prior who lived and worked in a monastery in Geneva itself.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Like many people of the times,
0:26:03 > 0:26:08he was in favour of autonomy and freedom from Geneva,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12from the authoritarian rule of the Savoy family,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16and his main problem was he talked too much.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Angered by his loose tongue and opposition to their rule,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24the Savoy family imprisoned Bonivard in Chillon.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Why was Byron captivated by this story of the Prisoner of Chillon?
0:26:28 > 0:26:29Well, I think that, of course,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33he was in favour of anything that was democratic,
0:26:33 > 0:26:38a brand-new idea at the time, of course, and anyone who had suffered.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Can you imagine anything more appalling than to spend years chained to
0:26:43 > 0:26:47that ring and to have all that beauty outside, just beyond your reach?
0:26:52 > 0:26:58"In each pillar, there is a ring, And in each ring, there is a chain
0:26:58 > 0:27:01"That iron is a cankering thing,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04"For in these limbs its teeth remain
0:27:04 > 0:27:07"With marks that will not wear away,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10"Till I have done with this new day."
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Byron's prisoner endured six years of incarceration here,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20but in 1536 was finally freed.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40'Next time, I will continue my journey through Switzerland,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43'when I make my cheesiest ever train journey...'
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- I like a food that requires you to drink wine.- So do I!
0:27:46 > 0:27:51'..and salute the bravery of a pioneering Swiss pilot.'
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Only when you go up in a small plane like this
0:27:53 > 0:27:57do you realise what a formidable obstacle
0:27:57 > 0:28:01the Alps would've been a century ago.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03GUNSHOT
0:28:03 > 0:28:07'Before entering a warzone with the Red Cross.'
0:28:09 > 0:28:12A most extraordinary turn of events!