Annecy

Annecy
Prefecture and commune

Panoramic sight of Annecy and Lake Annecy.

Flag
Coat of arms
Annecy

Coordinates: 45°54′58″N 6°07′59″E / 45.916°N 6.133°E / 45.916; 6.133Coordinates: 45°54′58″N 6°07′59″E / 45.916°N 6.133°E / 45.916; 6.133
Country France
Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department Haute-Savoie
Arrondissement Annecy
Canton Annecy-1, Annecy-2, Annecy-le-Vieux and Seynod
Intercommunality CA Grand Annecy
Government
 • Mayor (2014-2020) Jean-Luc Rigaut (UDI)
Area1 66.94 km2 (25.85 sq mi)
Population (2014)2 124,401
 • Density 1,900/km2 (4,800/sq mi)
Time zone CET (GMT +1) (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 74010 /74000
Dialling codes 0450
Elevation 396–1,153 m (1,299–3,783 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Annecy (French pronunciation: ​[ansi]; Arpitan: Èneci or Ènneci) is the largest city of Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 35 kilometers (22 mi) south of Geneva.

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 the lack of available land, its resident population has remained stagnant, with 52,029 inhabitants living within the city limits in 2013. However, its urban area, with 221,000 inhabitants, is on the 5th regional position, just behind the Geneva-Annemasse urban area, which counts 292,000 inhabitants in the northern department.

Switching from counts of Geneva’s dwelling in the 13th century, to counts of Savoy’s in the 14th century, the city became the capital of the Savoy province in 1434 during the prerogative of Genevois-Nemours until 1659. Its role increased in 1536, during the Calvinist Reformation of Geneva, while the bishop took refuge in Annecy. St Francis de Sales gave Annecy its role of advanced citadel of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. The annexation of Savoy will link the city to France in 1860.

Sometimes called "Venice of the Alps", this idyllic and touristic representation comes from its two canals and the Thiou river lying through the old city and whose initial role was to protect the city and to empower its handicrafts. The city experienced an industrial development in the 19th century with silk manufacturing. Some of its industrial legacy remains today within the head offices of NTN-SNR bearings, Salomon, Entremont and Dassault Aviation.

Since the end of the 19th century, Annecy has developed as a tourist center with the proximity of the lake, winter resorts and the renovation of its castle, inaugurated with the opening of its fine art museum in 1956. 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. Since 1960 Annecy has been the organiser of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, hosted at the Bonlieu Cultural Centre. It has also been a growing educational center since the establishment of the University of Savoy in 1973.

Geography

The Fier forms part of the commune's northwestern border. The mountains around the town of Annecy are Mont Veyrier, Le Semnoz, La Tournette, and the Parmelan.

History

The Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall)
Map of Annecy in 1914, French edition

Nearby Annecy le Vieux ("Old Annecy") was a settlement from the time of the Romans.[1] Annecy was the court of the counts of Geneva[1] or Genevois from the 10th century.[2] It passed to the counts of Savoy in 1401.[2] In 1444, it became the regional capital of the provinces of Genevois, Faucigny, and Beaufortain. With the advance of Calvinism, Annecy became a center for the Counter-Reformation, the old Bishopric of Geneva being transferred to it in 1535.[2] Francis of Sales was born in Sales, France in 1567 and served as bishop of Annecy from 1602 to 1622;[2] his relics are preserved in the cathedral.[1] During the French Revolution, the Savoy region was conquered by France. Annecy became attached to the department of Mont Blanc, whose capital was Chambéry.[3] The Catholic diocese was suppressed in 1801. After the Bourbon Restoration in 1815, Annecy was returned to the King of Sardinia and the Catholic diocese restored in 1822. When Savoy was sold to France in 1860, 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. In 2012, a multiple murder occurred in the Annecy area.[4]

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.[5]

Administration

Annecy is part of 4 cantons (Annecy-1, Annecy-2, Annecy-le-Vieux and Seynod) and it is the Prefecture of Haute-Savoie.

Since 2017, Annecy is formed of six "communes déléguées" (commune delegate): Annecy, Annecy-le-Vieux, Cran-Gevrier, Meythet, Pringy and Seynod. The local government is formed of the City council, composed of 202 members. Each commune delegate has a number of members depending upon its population. The Mayor is Jean-Luc Rigaut (UDI) since 2007.

The intercommunality of Annecy, Grand Annecy Agglomération, includes 34 municipalities.

Climate

Climate data for Annecy, Haute-Savoie - Alt : 458m
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.4
(61.5)		 19.2
(66.6)		 23.5
(74.3)		 27.4
(81.3)		 32.6
(90.7)		 35.1
(95.2)		 37.2
(99)		 38.5
(101.3)		 30.0
(86)		 26.5
(79.7)		 22.1
(71.8)		 19.9
(67.8)		 38.5
(101.3)
Average high °C (°F) 5.4
(41.7)		 7.6
(45.7)		 12.0
(53.6)		 15.6
(60.1)		 20.5
(68.9)		 24.0
(75.2)		 26.1
(79)		 25.7
(78.3)		 20.7
(69.3)		 16.0
(60.8)		 9.5
(49.1)		 5.6
(42.1)		 15.72
(60.32)
Average low °C (°F) −1.6
(29.1)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 1.6
(34.9)		 4.7
(40.5)		 9.5
(49.1)		 12.5
(54.5)		 14.3
(57.7)		 14.1
(57.4)		 10.4
(50.7)		 7.2
(45)		 2.3
(36.1)		 −0.7
(30.7)		 6.11
(42.99)
Record low °C (°F) −23.0
(−9.4)		 −15.5
(4.1)		 −15.0
(5)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 1.0
(33.8)		 3.0
(37.4)		 1.5
(34.7)		 −2.5
(27.5)		 −5.0
(23)		 −11.5
(11.3)		 −16.0
(3.2)		 −23.0
(−9.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 91.2
(3.591)		 82.2
(3.236)		 94.6
(3.724)		 102.8
(4.047)		 105.1
(4.138)		 90.0
(3.543)		 100.8
(3.969)		 114.8
(4.52)		 123.3
(4.854)		 118.0
(4.646)		 116.8
(4.598)		 109.9
(4.327)		 1,249.5
(49.193)
Average precipitation days 11 9 10 10 12 9 10 10 9 11 12 11 124
Mean monthly sunshine hours 93 117 172 196 224 262 277 242 192 138 83 70 2,066
Source: Météo France - Period 1981-2010 - Temperatures extremes 1970-2015.

Culture

Annecy has hosted the Annecy International Animated Film Festival since 1960 and the Rencontres Internationales d'Annecy Cinéma & Architecture since 1999.

Sport

On 23 July 2009, Annecy played host to Stage 18 of the Tour de France, as the start/finish point for an individual time trial around Lake Annecy.

Annecy launched a bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games but lost to Pyeongchang.[6] If they had been chosen, Annecy would have been the fourth French city to host the Winter Olympic Games, after Chamonix (1924), Grenoble (1968), and Albertville (1992).

Ligue 1 former team Évian Thonon Gaillard F.C. played their home matches in Annecy. The club was founded in 2007, they grew up to reach Ligue 1, and stayed for three years in the division, thanks to their emblematic trainer Pascal Dupraz

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.[7] The area regularly hosts major competitions, most recently a leg of the Paragliding World Cup in 2012.[8] 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.[9]

Main sights

The Palais de l'Isle and Thiou river

Palais de l'Isle is a castle in Geneva's administrative headquarters, then alternately a courthouse, a mint, and the Middle Ages until 1865 and then again during World War II. The Palais de l'Ile was classified as a Historical Monument in 1900, and today houses a local history museum.

Other sights in Annecy include:

Education

Population

Population change (See database)
1793 1800 1806 1822 1838 1848 1858 1861 1866
4,440 5,130 5,467 5,724 8,252 8,547 10,374 9,370 11,554
1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896 1901 1906 1911
11,581 10,976 11,334 11,817 11,947 12,894 13,611 14,351 15,622
1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954 1962 1968 1975
15,004 17,233 20,289 23,293 26,722 33,114 43,255 54,484 53,262
1982 1990 1999 2008 - - - - -
49,965 49,644 50,348 50,115 - - - - -

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006) · [10]

Population Over Time

   
 
 
 
0
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1800
 
1820
 
1840
 
1860
 
1880
 
1900
 
1920
 
1940
 
1960
 
1980
 
2000
 
Sources - database Cassini of EHESS and Insee See database

Research organisations

Economy

Logo of the City of Annecy

In the 19th century, the primary manufactures were linen and cotton goods, glass, cutlery, earthenware, and leather.[1] The area also carried on linen bleaching and iron mining.[1] 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.[2]

Companies located in and around Annecy include:

Transport

The Gare d'Annecy railway station offers connections with Lyon, Geneva, Paris, Grenoble and several regional destinations.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Annecy is twinned with:

Associations

Together with other Alpine towns Annecy engages in the Alpine Town of the Year Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc. Annecy is also Alpine Town of the Year 2012.

Sons and daughters

People with relationship to the city

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 EB (1878).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 EB (1911).
  3. ↑ Almanach Impérial an bissextil MDCCCXII, p. 437-438, accessed in Gallica 23 May 2017 (in French)
  4. ↑ "France shootings: Three victims shot in head". BBC News Online. BBC. 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
  5. ↑ "Arrêté du 14 juillet 2016 portant création d'une commune nouvelle" (in French).
  6. ↑ From Paula Hancocks, CNN. "South Korean city to host 2018 Winter Olympics". CNN.com. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  7. ↑ Paragliding in the Annecy Basin (PDF) (in French), DRDJS Rhone Alpes, archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2010, retrieved October 30, 2011
  8. ↑ World Cup France Talloires 2012, retrieved 2014-08-15
  9. ↑ Record participation for 2015 IAU Trail World Championships| News | iaaf.org
  10. ↑ Census of population on 1 January 2006 on the site of Insee.
  11. ↑ "British towns twinned with French towns [via WaybackMachine.com]". Archant Community Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-20.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Annecy.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Annecy.
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