The Château de Divonne once again ravaged by flames

In the grip of a new fire, now under control, the Château de Divonne (Ain) is still letting black smoke escape. The disaster which occurred on Sunday June 28 at the end of the afternoon mobilized 74 French and Swiss firefighters as well as around thirty engines. The mayor of Divonne-les-Bains Vincent Scattollin and the sub-prefect of Gex Joël Bourgeot visited the site. An investigation was opened to determine the causes of the fire. Although no injuries were reported, the place having been unused for nine years and the structure was able to be preserved, the interior of the castle was ravaged.

A fire had already seriously weakened the building in January 2017. It broke out in a storage room on the second floor, and spread to the entire roof. The customers present were able to be evacuated in time, and the firefighters managed to save a large part of the movable heritage and paintings. In 2024, there was hope of a rehabilitation of the castle thanks to an ambitious project by the Centaurus hotel group, which ultimately withdrew. Since then, the owners have been looking for a new investor.

Before 2017, the castle housed a 4-star hotel-restaurant from the Grandes Etapes Françaises company, owner of the business since March 1984. A few months after the first fire, the La Forest Divonne family, owner of the walls, decided to terminate their operating lease. Centaurus planned to increase the accommodation capacity of the establishment and obtain an additional star.

The castle in its current form was built from the 18th century by the Count of Divonne on the ruins of a medieval fortification, of which only a 12th century postern remains in the park. In 1860, its owner enlarged the building by adding two square wings. During the Second World War, the castle was requisitioned to serve as an infirmary. It was only after the liberation that it became a luxury hotel, following a decision by the deputy mayor of Divonne-les-Bains Marcel Anthonioz. Although the structure and facade of the building remain generally preserved, the upper part has been very damaged since 2017.

On the pediment of the castle, the coat of arms of La Forest Divonne is still engraved. The family, descended from the nobility of medieval extraction and originally from the county of Savoy, held positions at the court of the Dukes in the 15th century. She came into possession of the estate in the middle of the 17th century, and began construction of the castle the following century. Today, the La Forest Divonne family still owns the walls, and are related to the Parisian gallery owners.