Annecy is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed the “Pearl of French Alps” in Raoul Blanchard’s monograph describing its location between lake and mountains, the city controls the northern entrance to the lake gorge. Due to a lack of available building land between the lake and the protected Semnoz mountain, its population has remained stagnant.
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Haute-Savoie |
| Canton | Annecy-1, 2, Annecy-3 and 4 |
| Government | |
| Mayor (2020–2026) | François Astorg |
| Area1 | 66.94 km2 (25.85 sq mi) |
| Population (2017-01-01) | 126,924 |
| Demonym(s) | Annécien/Annécienne |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
From the end of the 19th century, Annecy developed tourism around its lake summer facilities, winter resorts proximity and cultural attraction with its castle renovation and fine art museum opening in 1956 and the Animated Film Festival since 1963, hosted in Bonlieu’s cultural centre. The municipal environmental policy managed to keep 40.3% of green spaces and the city and was awarded the “Golden Flower” in 2015, given to the nine most-flowered French cities. Its educational area is growing since the University of Savoy establishment in 1973.
Geography
The Fier forms part of the commune’s northwestern border. The surrounding mountains are Mont Veyrier, Mont Semnoz, La Tournette and Parmelan.
History
Early history
Le vieil Annecy (“Old Annecy”), was a settlement from the time of the Romans. Annecy was the court of the counts of Geneva or Genevois from the 10th century. It passed to the counts of Savoy in 1401. In 1444, it became the regional capital of the provinces of Genevois, Faucigny and Beaufortain.
Recent times
After the Bourbon Restoration in 1815, Annecy was returned to the King of Sardinia and the Catholic diocese restored in 1822. When Savoy was annexed to France in 1860 with the Treaty of Turin, it became the capital of the new department of Haute-Savoie. Annecy was the site of the second round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) talks in 1949. A panoramic image from the southern bank of the Thiou in the city centre as of July 2018
The new municipality was established on 1 January 2017 by merger with the former communes of Annecy-le-Vieux, Cran-Gevrier, Meythet, Pringy and Seynod.
Economy
In the 19th century, the primary manufactures were linen and cotton goods, glass, cutlery, earthenware, and leather. The area also carried on linen bleaching and iron mining. By the First World War, it was connected by rail to Aix-les-Bains and there were factories for linen and cotton goods, felt hats, and paper, as well as a “celebrated” bell foundry at Annecy-le-Vieux.
Companies located in and around Annecy include:
- Salomon Group
- adixen Vacuum Products
- Sopra Group
- Ubisoft Annecy
Education
- Université Savoie-Mont Blanc
- Polytech’Savoie
Research organisations
- LAPP Laboratoire d’Annecy-le-Vieux de Physique des Particules specialized in Physics
- Mecatronics department of CETIM
- Different R&D activities in the Université de Savoie and its École Polytechnique d’Ingenieurs: Polytech’Savoie.
Transport
The Gare d’Annecy railway station offers connections with Lyon, Geneva, Paris, Grenoble and several regional destinations.
Annecy – Haute-Savoie – Mont Blanc Airport currently used for private air transport only.
Culture
Annecy has hosted the Annecy International Animated Film Festival since 1960 and the Rencontres Internationales d’Annecy Cinéma & Architecture since 1999.
Main sights
- The Palais de l’Isle is a 12th-century castle on an island in the river Thiou in Annecy’s administrative headquarters. It mostly served as a prison and courthouse until the French Revolution. It again was a prison during World War II.
- The Château d’Annecy (Annecy Castle) was the home of the Counts of Geneva and the Dukes of Genevois-Nemours, an offshoot
The Castle Museum
The castle is the historical symbol of Annecy, its construction spans four centuries (from the 12th to the 16th). The city of Annecy acquired the castle in 1953, and restored it allowing the installation of a museum and the Regional Observatory of Alpine Lakes.
The museum presents to visitors various temporary exhibitions and collections related to regional heritage, lake archeology, medieval sculpture, landscape paintings, contemporary art and animated cinema.
The Regional Observatory of Alpine Lakes presents the complex and fragile environments of the great lakes of the French Alps.
The Palace of the Island
One of the most photographed monuments in Annecy! Annecy lord’s residence from the XII th century, the palace serves as a prison until 1865. Ranked Historical Monuments in 1900, serving the museum since 1952, it now houses the Interpretation Center of the architecture and heritage. Its roof has undergone a major restoration, completed in 2017.
The Palais de l’Île is a place of exhibitions on the architecture and heritage of the Annecy territory. The exhibition space is being redeveloped with a route designed especially for families and signage highlighting the monument and its restoration.
Natural heritage
Lake Annecy
The lake, about 14 kilometers long, is one of the purest in the world. Swimming is also practiced there thanks to the numerous beaches, numerous sports: diving, water skiing, boating, windsurfing…
More information: Lake Annecy
FRAPNA Haute Savoie
Association for the protection and awareness of the natural heritage, FRAPNA offers schools, day centers and people with disabilities in the department, thematic outings: river, bilogical corridors, gardens … Every summer you can also meet for groups, but also for the general public of activities on the Semnoz mountain pasture.
More information: www.frapna-haute-savoie.org
SEA – Alpine Economy Society of Haute Savoie
The SEA works to keep alpine techniques and culture alive and evolve around the fundamental themes of pastoralism, water and forest. The SEA organizes numerous events and awareness-raising actions: congresses on water, the forest, flavors, personalized and friendly welcome in alpine meadows, conferences, discovery workshops or educational trails…
More information: www.echoalp.com
Semnoz mountain
The Semnoz mountain stretches for 16km between Annecy, Le Col de Leschaux, Alby sur Cheran and Saint Jorioz … An exceptional view is offered at the top of Semnoz ranging from the mountains of the Mont Blanc range, the massif des Ecrins or the Bourget lake in Aix les Bains.
More information: Semnoz mountain
Le Fier River
The Fier is the largest river in Annecy. It has its source in the Aravis chain in order to flow into the Rhône at Seyssel in the Ain.
More information: Le Fier River
Le Thiou River
The Thiou is a tributary of the Fier. Taking its source in the lake, it crosses the old town, then the west of the town to reach Cran-Gevrier. It is the smallest river in France.
More information: Le Thiou river
Sport
The Annecy basin is one of the world’s leading locations for the sport of paragliding, an activity of some economic importance to the region. The area regularly hosts major competitions, most recently a leg of the Paragliding World Cup in 2012. Due to its proximity with the lake and the mountains, Annecy is also popular for watersports (sailing, rowing, wakeboarding, water skiing) and wintersports (alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing). Le Semnoz, a relatively small ski resort is 35 minutes away from Annecy. Other bigger ski resorts, La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand, are only 40 minutes away. Annecy is also very popular among trail runners and many races are organized year round, such as the World Trail Running Championships in 2015.
