Fairy Rock (Crans Montana, Valais)

The ruins of the rock castle called Fairy Rock (Rocher des Fées) are located in the municipality of Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland, between Mollens and Aminona, more precisely in a rock face at the hamlet Les Echerts. The ruins are rather well preserved, and can be easily admired from nearby. Due to its location in the rock, however, accessing the inside is difficult. The rock castle was built at the end of the 12th century, and was probably used as a refuge during the wars and raids of that period. This rock castle is registered in the Swiss inventory of cultural property under the name Roches des Fées. It should not be confused with the Cave of the Fairies (Grotte aux Fées) near Saint-Maurice, in lower Valais. Rock castles, also called cave castles, or troglodyte shelters, can be found all over Switzerland, but they are quite common in central Valais. The Fairy Rock castle is among the best-preserved ones and can be easily inspected in detail. There is a second rock castle in the municipality of Crans-Montana, but it lies far in the rock face above Les Cingles, and is therefore hardly visible and practically inaccessible. There are other rock castles in the nearby region, also referred to as Grotte aux Fées or just Grotte, for example, in the municipalities of Arbaz, Grône, Nax, and Leukerbad. All were built between the 12th and 15th centuries, which also coincides with the warlike periods in the Middle Ages in Valais. These shelters are remote and hardly accessible. During the raids, the few initiated could find safe refuge there. The ruins of the rock castle are located on the territory of the municipality of Crans-Montana, near the asphalted road between Mollens and Aminona, in the lower part of the rock wall above the hamlet Les Echerts. When going up this road, there is first a turn-off to the right to reach this hamlet, and shortly after that, on the left, there is a parking lot with a sign The Fairy Rock. From this parking lot, a short path leads through the forest to the rock castle.