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Mont-Blanc

Historical Benchmarks

. Unification with France

1793 : formation of the Mont Blanc Department

1798 : Geneva annexed; formation of the Léman Department.

22-23 avril 1860 : Savoie annexed to France. This was the price of the alliance with Napoléon III. The former Duchy comprised the Departments of Savoie and Haute Savoie.
The state endowed the two Departments with schools and administrative buildings as well as road and rail networks.

. The Republic

1885 : Electricity came to the Haute Savoie: La Roche-sur-Foron was the first town to be lit up in France.
This new source energy breathed new life into former activities such as Bar Turning and Cutting in the Arve Basin. Farming was gradually modernised; dairy and fruit co-operatives became widespread. The region lived in close symbiosis with Geneva, thanks to the "great zone".

1919 : the "great zone" was abolished

1924 : The Chamonix Olympic Games, skiing first became popular

1934 : After years of dispute, the reduced zones were re-established.
Tourism, still centred on the thermal towns (Evian, Saint Gervais), developed with huge hotels and new means of transport.

From the 1930s : The population movement, first through the exodus and emigration of foreigners, was reversed. Migration to the Haute Savoie began.

. The Second World War (1938 - 1945)

In Savoie, WW2 began with the victory of the Alpine Army over the Italian and German attacks.

From 1941 : The Secret Army was organised by those who refused to accept the Vichy regime.

1942 – 1943 : The Italian occupation and the repression of the French Resistance.

1943 : The first Maquis was formed.

1944 : The epic of the Plateau des Glières Maquis became the symbol of the Resistance.

From 15 - 20 August 1944 : The Resistance liberated the Department single-handed. The Haute Savoie was badly scarred by these tragic years.

. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

At the age of sixteen, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) left Geneva, his native town, to live in Annecy. There he met Madam de Warens, the love of his life. She inspired Les confessions, in which he wrote of their life together at Les Charmettes. In 1750, the prize awarded to him for Discours sur les sciences et les arts (Discourse on Science and Art) brought him fame. Glory found him two years later with his opera Le devin du village (The Village Soothsayer).
He was condemned for his revolutionary ideas. He was forced to flee to Switzerland, then to England. On returning to France, he wrote the last book of Confessions, Dialogues, and Rêveries d'un promeneur solitaire (Dreams of a Solitary Walker).

. Roger Frison Roche (1906- 1999)

Born in 1906, he lived in Chamonix where he began work as a high mountain guide. In 1938, he became a top reporter in Algeria where he wrote his first novel about the mountains and the Sahara Desert. Taken prisoner of war, he managed to join the Beaufort Maquis in 1942. Author of the international best-seller Premier de Cordée, then Retour à la montagne, La grande crevasse, and Les montagnes de la nuit, he continued working as a journalist until 1955, when he devoted himself fulltime to literature. His many journeys throughout the world inspired his fiction, travel accounts ethnographic reports such as Carnets sahariens, Les terres de l'infini, Djebel amour, Mont-Blanc aux sept vallées.

. Count Claude Berthollet (1748-1822)

A French chemist, he discovered hypochlorite and used it for bleaching canvas. He refined chlorate explosives. He travelled to Egypt with Napoleon Bonaparte.

. Jacques Balmat (1762-1834)

High mountain guide, on 8 August 1786, he achieved fame with the first successful ascent of Mont Blanc accompanied by Michel-Gabriel Paccard, a doctor from Chamonix. The following year, he took the scholar from Geneva, Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, up the same peak

. Christine Janin - Doctor, Mountaineer

The first Frenchwoman to reach the summit of Mount Everest and the first woman ever to reach the North Pole unaccompanied.

Dr Christine Janin founded the association "Everest for Everyone" whose purpose is to help children and young people suffering from leukaemia to overcome their ordeal and renew hope by exploring the mountain

www.achacunsoneverest.com

. Peggy Bouchet

Originally from Evian, Peggy Bouchet was the first woman to row across the Atlantic, in January 2000. A dream she realised after a first attempt in 1998

. Edgar Grospiron

Olympic mogul skiing champion, Edgar Grospiron is an enthusiast. He has won a medal in 1992 in Albertville.

. Laurence de la Ferrière

The first Frenchwoman to reach the South Pole in January 1997, Laurence de la Ferrière arrived at the South Pole for the second time on 6 February 2000 at the Dumont d'Urville base after a solo trip of 60 days..

. Philippe Monnet

Born on 31 January 1959 at La Clusaz, in January 2000 he sailed around the world … backwards. After 161 days at sea, battling the elements, this former member of Eric Tabarly's crew, finally attained his dream. The site "www .70degresud.com" retraces his adventure

. Marc Veyrat

"The farm of my father" in Megève and his other restaurant in Veyrier-du-Lac, Marc Veyrat cooks with many herbs: he brings Nature in the plates.

Twice three stars in the red guide in 2001

www.marcveyrat.fr

. Didier Bovard

Born on 14 January 1963 at Evian-les-Bains, has crossed twice the Atlantic by pedal craft in 88 days. His site goes over his adventure, which goes after in 2002.

www.didierbovard.com

Original

. Flaine

Created in 1967 and signed by the American architect Marcel Breuer, Flaine is one of the few integrated resorts in the Haute Savoie. The Bauhaus style and the many works of art exhibited under the open sky (Picasso, Dubuffet, Vasarely, etc.), makes Flaine a magical place, a truly original resort.

. La Roche sur Foron

The era of hydroelectric power began towards the end of the 19th century and La Roche-sur-Foron was the first French town to be lit by electricity.

. La Varappe

In 1870, a few rock climbing enthusiasts ventured into La Varappe, a very steep gorge on the Salève and they were to become known as "the Varappeux". In the Twenties, Varappe became a generic term for the activity of climbing a rocky gully or a very steep slope in the mountains.

. Panning for gold

Until the eighteenth century, gold diggers sifted through the sands of the Chéran River, panning for gold. Tales are told of "gold panners" actually finding a few nuggets there…

. Les cloches Paccard

Since it was founded, in 1796, the Paccard Foundry has cast over 100,000 bells, including "La Savoyarde" at the Sacré Cœur in Paris and the "World Peace Bell", the largest swinging bell in the world. The Paccard Foundry is famous all over the world - discover its fascinating history at the Sévrier Bell Museum.