Samoëns (French pronunciation: [samwɛ̃] ; Arpitan: Samouens) is an alpine commune on the Swiss border in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It was the principal commune for the canton that bore its name until it was abolished in 2015. The town of Samoëns is located in the French Alps' Vallée du Giffre (Giffre Valley), just southwest of Champéry in Valais.
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1968 | 1,647 | — |
1975 | 1,724 | +0.65% |
1982 | 1,954 | +1.81% |
1990 | 2,148 | +1.19% |
1999 | 2,323 | +0.87% |
2007 | 2,368 | +0.24% |
2012 | 2,285 | −0.71% |
2017 | 2,458 | +1.47% |
2020 | 2,380 | −1.07% |
Source: INSEE [3] |
Stone has long been a traditional feature of the Upper Giffre Valley which is dotted with limestone quarries (hardness coefficient, 13). To supplement their income from farming, the men in the region used to work stone.
In 1659, there were so many frahans (the local name for stonecutters and masons) [4] in Samoëns and their expertise was so well known that they set up a very famous brotherhood. It engaged in charity work, taking care of the sick and training young apprentices in its own school of draughtsmen, which had an extensive library.
The members of the brotherhood of masons and stonecutters in Samoëns were contacted for leading construction projects. They worked with Vauban on his fortifications, were commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte to build canals in Saint-Quentin, and worked in Givors and even further afield, in Poland, Louisiana and Australia.[ citation needed ]
To ensure that they were not understood by outsiders when talking to each other, they used their own dialect, called mourmé. [4]
Evidence of their work can be seen all over the village, in its architecture. Even now, there are a number of stonecutters upholding the tradition in Samoëns and the brotherhood has become a cultural association, the Société des Maçons.
The town carries the designation of a "ville fleurie" distinguishing it as one of the most beautiful towns in France. [5]
Approximately a 70 km drive from Geneva Airport, [6] Samoens is a summer destination as well as the site of a ski resort that departs from a lift (Grand massif Express) at the edge of town linking up to Samoëns 1600. Also known as the Plateau des Saix, this resort is part of the larger five-town Grand Massif which includes Flaine and Morillon. [7]
Samoëns has been awarded the 'Famille Plus Montagne' label. [8] Samoëns is the only winter sports resort to be classified by the Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques.
As well as skiing, Samoens offers a range of non-skiing activities including dog-sledding, indoor climbing, caving and diving under ice. [9]
Jaÿsinia (3.7 hectares) is a botanical garden specializing in alpine flowers, established in 1906 by Marie-Louise Cognacq-Jaÿ, a native of Samoëns and founder of La Samaritaine department store in Paris. Since 1936 it has been directed by the Scientific Division of Botany from the National Museum of Natural History. It is open all year and is free of charge.
There are nine chapels in and around Samoëns, in addition to many shrines and other cultural buildings. Most were built in the 17th century, except for the chapel in Le Bérouze – dating from the 15th century – and the one in Les Allamands, dating from the 19th century.
Two of these buildings were moved from the sites where they were originally constructed. The chapel in Le Bérouze was originally built at the mountain pass known as "Col de Couz", but it was badly damaged during an invasion by Swiss troops in 1476. Four years later, it was decided to rebuild it on the main square. In Mathonex, the chapel now overlooks the village, but the original building was much closer to the village centre; its relocation became a necessity after a landslide.
Savoie is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population of 436,434.
The following is a list of the 279 communes of the French department of Haute-Savoie.
Morzine, alternatively known as Morzine-Avoriaz, is an alpine commune on the Swiss border in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France.
Les Portes du Soleil is a major skisports destination in the Alps, encompassing twelve resorts between Mont Blanc in France and Lake Geneva in Switzerland. With more than 650 km of marked pistes and about 200 lifts in total, spread over 14 valleys and about 1,036 square kilometres (400 sq mi), Portes du Soleil ranks among the two largest ski areas in the world. Almost all of the pistes are connected by lifts – a few marginal towns can be reached only by the free bus services in the area. The highest elevation accessible on skis is 2260 m and the lowest is 930 m. As with many other Alpine ski resorts, the lower slopes of the Portes du Soleil have snow-making facilities to extend the ski season by keeping the lower slopes open during the warmer months.
The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as the Mont Blanc massif, are shared with Switzerland and Italy.
Flaine is a ski area in the Haute Savoie region of the French Alps, and is a part of the linked Grand Massif domain. It is in the territory of the communes of Magland and Arâches-la-Frasse. Flaine is linked to Samoëns, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with 267 km of pistes in total. It featured the first 8-seater high speed chairlift, Les Grands Vans, and the first snow cannons to be installed in Europe. Flaine is often called the "big snowy bowl" due to it having one of the best snow records in the Alps. It is a modern, car-free resort with a wealth of amenities, all in close proximity to the accommodation. Flaine has been dubbed “the world's ugliest ski resort”.
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is a subprefecture of the Savoie department, in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, in southeastern France.
Ville-la-Grand is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. The commune consists of the main town Ville-la-Grand and the small villages Crêt and Marsaz.
Morillon is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
The Grand Massif is a ski resort located in Haute-Savoie department, France.
Arâches-la-Frasse is commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
Avoriaz is a French mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil. It is located in the territory of the commune of Morzine. It is easily accessible from either Thonon at Lake Geneva or Cluses station on the A40 motorway between Geneva and Chamonix. Either way one follows the D902, Route des Grandes Alpes, to Morzine and then the D338 running from Morzine to Avoriaz. Snow chains are often necessary. Avoriaz is built on a shelf high above the town of Morzine, which is among the pioneering towns of skiing with its first lifts dating back to the early 1930s. Today Avoriaz is one of the major French ski destinations catering for all standards of skiing and ranks among the top snowboarding destinations of the world. Apart from snow-based pursuits, Avoriaz is also a centre for trekking, golf, VTT and other outdoor activities during the summer. Cars are forbidden in Avoriaz. The resort is designed to be fully skiable. Other transport around the resort includes horse-drawn sleighs and snowcats during winter.
Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It is located at the end of the Giffre Valley.
Sciez is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Sciez forms part of a transborder agglomeration known as Grand Genève.
Montriond is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
The Bornes massif are a mountainous massif in the north French Prealps in the department of Haute-Savoie. It has 20 peaks higher than 2000 m and is a popular destination for winter sports. The Massif is the source of the celebrated cheese Reblochon.
The Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc are a French ice hockey team based in Chamonix, Haute-Savoie. They play in the country's top tier, the Ligue Magnus. For their inaugural 2016–17 season, they were known as Pionniers de Chamonix-Morzine.
Tête du Colonney is a mountain in the Chablais Alps in Haute-Savoie, France.
Gouffre Mirolda is a karstic cave located in the Haut-Giffre mountain range, in the commune of Samoëns, Haute-Savoie, France. It is connected to the Lucien Bouclier cave system, and has a depth of −1,661 m (−5,449 ft). It is the sixth deepest cave in the world.
The Savoie region, which encompasses the French departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie, has a thriving tourism industry. The Savoie Mont Blanc brand represents the region in this sector.