Hi, In light of this mornings email, I'm forwarding an excerpt from Bonnie Bess Wood's site which came to me from Celine.... So you're getting it 3rd hand. But it's fun and I hope you'll enjoy: Degruyére, Switzerland. Castle built 998. Michael in 1530 ran up hugh debts in Fribourg, Bern, Switzerland. Fled to Austria . Married into wealthy family. Owned 3 million acres of land . Duménil & Fouchard are the names of provinces given to the Duke by the King of France. La Gruyères. A perfectly preserved old castle-village, isolated on its crag but within easy reach of Lake Geneva, Gruyères is one of Switzerland's most photogenic sights and attracts hordes of daytrippers throught the summer season, come to stroll on the village's only street and explore the impressive château. .. . The château was formerly the regional seat of power, occupied from 1080 to 1554 by the nineteen counts of Gruyères, but was decimated by a fire in 1493 which destroyed virtually everything but the dungeons. The last occupants reconstructed the living quarters in a lavish Savoyard style; Michael, the final Count of Gruyères, ran up huge debts doing this and then fled, leaving his creditors - the governments of Fribourg and Bern - to divide up his lands between them. A rich Geneva dynasty, the Bovy and Balland families, bought the castle in 1848 and supported a number of artist in residence, including the french landscap e painter Corot, before the cantonal governement of Fribourg took over maintenance of the castle in 1938. Highlights of the château include Flemish tapestries decorating the count's bedchamber, Corot's room with landscapes painted by him, and other rooms throughout the castle with grand fireplaces, heraldic stained glass, often featuring the dynastic symbol of a crane (grue in French), and booty from the Battle of Murten where Louis II, Count of Gruyère, fought on the Swiss side . The wood-panelled Knights' Hall is impressive, as is the small formal garden at the very back, on the tip of the hill. Beside the castle, Gry`eres chrch is in an exceptionally beautiful location, backed by valley vistas. [Rough Guide to Switzerland , 2004 ].