Overlooking the alluvial zone at the junction of the Sarine and Jogne rivers, above Broc, the ruins of the medieval village of Montsalvens emerge from the forest - Montsalvens comes from Mons Silvanus, literally Mont of the forest - with the mighty tower of an ancient keep, perched on its belvedere.

The ruins include the tower, the keep, sections of the walls of the enclosure and the upper gateway to the town, as well as the foundations of the houses and the lower gateway, hidden by vegetation and uncovered by excavations carried out in the 1940s.

These are the remains of the lock controlling access to the Jogne valley, between the barony of Broc, the prerogative of the Counts of Gruyère, and the lordship of Corbières, between the late 13th and early 15th centuries. The fortified town provided strategic protection from Bernese invasions from the Simmental, and its position on the promontory enabled it to control Bulle and the lordships of Vuippens, Everdes and Corbières, which were frequently at war with the Counts of Gruyère.

Established in the 12th century, the lordship of Montsalvens probably descended from the de Gruyère family. In 1274, Pierre II de Gruyère received authorisation from Count Philippe I de Savoie to reinforce the defence of the castle with vast fortifications bordering the valley, with the development of a town with two gates and two rows of dwellings below the castle. It is thought that a long wall linked the town to a lower fortification, a few ruins of which remain on the promontory overlooking the first square, known as Bataille. The name actually comes from a stille, meaning fortification.

In the 14th century, the Lords of Montsalvens moved to the more comfortable Fortified House of Broc (Château d'enbas). In 1407, a Bernese raid sacked Montsalvens, which never recovered from its ruins. Unoccupied since then, this former stronghold has benefited since 1864 from preservation measures led by the municipality of Broc, which owns the site. Since 1999, the Association pour la sauvegarde du site médiéval de Montsalvens has been working to consolidate the remains and illuminate the site.

In collaboration with the commune of Châtel-sur-Montsalvens