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Located in the département of Savoie about halfway between Chambéry and Albertville, the castle once belonged to the powerful Chevron-Villette family that controled much of what is now southern Haute Savoie and parts of Savoie proper. It now belongs to a family that purchased the castle at the time of the French annexation of Savoie in 1860.
The historical portion of the castle was used as a prison in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was widely known as the "Alpine Bastille". Its most famous guest was the infamous Marquis de Sade who, despite the prison's formidable reputation, nonetheless escaped using the trite but proven method of torn bedsheets woven into a rope...
 
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Perched
high above the Combe de Savoie, Miolans was once a powerful fortress
that controlled the center of the valley. It overlooks forest
and vineyards, as well as the important trade road that led from
Savoie to Italy.
The
castle is divided into two main parts: the stables and servants'
quarters are now the place of residence of the owners; the historical
castle, now largely in ruins, is not inhabited but can be visited.
The
prisons contain much ancient graffiti, and are impressive in
their current, slightly dilapidated state. Divided into three
levels. they provided prisoners with varying degrees of comfort,
and were named, from the top to the bottom levels, Paradise,
Purgatory, and Hell. Legend states also that an unfaithful
lady of the castle was walled into a small room at the lowest
level and died of starvation... this is indeed a cheerful place!
The fortress walls, including an unusual underground gallery
and an even longer sheltered access road, are in good repair
and can be visited as well.