Annecy

Annecy
Panoramic sight of Annecy and Lake Annecy.
Annecy
Location within Rhône-Alpes region  Annecy
Administration
Country	France
Region	Rhône-Alpes
Department	Haute-Savoie
Arrondissement	Annecy
Intercommunality	Annecy
Mayor	Jean-Luc Rigaut (NC) (since 2007)
Statistics
Elevation	418–926 m (1,371–3,038 ft) (avg. 448 m or 1,470 ft)
Land area1	13.75 km2 (5.31 sq mi)
Population2	52,890  (2006)
- Density	3,847 /km2 (9,960 /sq mi)
Time zone	CET (GMT +1)
INSEE/Postal code	74010/ 74000
Dialling code	0450
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: ​[an.si]; Èneci / Ènneci in Arpitan language) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.

It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy (Lac d'Annecy), 35 kilometres (22 miles) south of Geneva.

Administration

Annecy is the capital of the department of Haute-Savoie.

The metropolitan area of Annecy includes 13 municipalities.

Annecy is the capital of three cantons:

• The Canton of Annecy-Centre is made up of a part of Annecy and has 15,344 inhabitants;
• The Canton of Annecy-Nord-Est is also made up of part of Annecy and counts 19,540 inhabitants;
• The largest canton is that of the Annecy-Nord-Ouest, which is formed from a part of Annecy and the communities of La Balme-de-Sillingy, Choisy, Épagny, Lovagny, Mésigny, Metz-Tessy, Meythet, Nonglard, Poisy, Sallenôves and Sillingy. Its population numbers 44,164.

History

The Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall)

Starting as the capital of the county of Geneva, after the demise of the counts of Geneva, it became integrated into the House of Savoy's possessions in 1401. In 1444, it was set up by the Princes of Savoy as the capital of a region covering the possessions of the Genevois, Faucigny and Beaufortain. With the advance of Calvinism in 1535, it became a center for the Counter-Reformation and the bishop's see of Geneva was transferred here.

During the French Revolution the Savoy region was conquered by France. Annecy became attached to the département of Mont Blanc, of which the capital was Chambéry. After the Bourbon Restoration in 1815, it was returned to the Kingdom of Sardinia (heir of the Duchy of Savoy). When Savoy was sold to France in 1860, it became the capital of the new département of Haute-Savoie.

Francis of Sales was born at the nearby castle of Sales in 1567. He was bishop of Annecy from 1602 to 1622.

Annecy was the site of the second round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) talks in 1949.

In 2012, Annecy was the scene of a multiple murder.

Geography

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

Culture

Annecy has hosted the Annecy International Animated Film Festival since 1960.

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 bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games but lost to Pyeongchang. 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 team Évian Thonon Gaillard F.C. play their home matches in Annecy.

The sprinter Christophe Lemaitre was born in Annecy in 1990.

Main sights

The Palais de l'Isle

Palais de l'Isle is a castle in the centre of the Thiou canal, built in 1132. It was the primary residence of the Lord of Annecy as early as the 12th century, and later became the Count of Geneva's administrative headquarters, then alternately a courthouse, a mint, and finally a jail from 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:

• The Château d'Annecy (Annecy Castle) was the home of the Counts of Geneva and the Dukes of Genevois-Nemours, an offshoot of the House of Savoie (12th–16th century). Today, the restored castle houses the Art and History Conservatory of Annecy and the Regional Office of the Alpine Lakes.,
• The Cathedral of Saint-Pierre, built in the early 16th century as a Franciscan friary, was the cathedral of Francis de Sales and is home to a number of baroque pieces from the 16th century.,
• The rue Sainte-Claire and its romantic arches date from the 17th and 18th centuries.
• The rue royale, with its numerous shops, gardens and the fountain of Saint Jean is the heart of the commercial and political activities of the town.
• The money workshop of the Genevois now houses the Musée de l'Histoire d'Annecy.
• The Church of Saint-Maurice, originally constructed as a church of the Dominican order, has a flamboyant gothic style of the 15th century, and houses some very memorial interesting paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries.,
• The European Gardens, made just after the annexing of Savoie in 1863, where one can admire the very rich and diverse vegetation.
• The Pont des Amours (Lovers' Bridge), a beautiful example of the iron architecture typical of the 20th century.
• The Impérial Palace, inaugurated in 1913, with its public gardens, its beach and its casino.
• The Basilique de la Visitation, built in the 20th century, home of the tomb of François de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal, offers a magnificent view of the town and the agglomeration.

Education

• Polytech'Savoie
• Université de Savoie (Annecy et Chambéry)

Demography

Changing demographics of the town

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 : database Cassini of EHESS for selected numbers until 1962, database Insee from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006) ·

See database

Histogram on demographic change

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

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.

Economy

Logo of the City of Annecy

Companies located in and around Annecy include:

• Salomon Group
• SNR Roulements
• Staubli
• Alcatel Vacuum Technology
• Sopra Group
• Ubisoft Annecy

Transport

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

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Twin towns – Sister cities

Annecy is twinned with:

• Bayreuth, Germany
• Cheltenham, United Kingdom
• Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia
• Sainte-Thérèse, Canada
• Vicenza, Italy

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.

Gallery

• 

  Palais de l'Isle jail by night.

• 

  View of the Canal.

• 

  Annecy and Lake Annecy seen from Mont Veyrier.

See also

• Arpitan language – Franco-Provençal language
• Arpitania

References

• INSEE

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links

• Annecy town website (French) (English)
• Annecy photo blog (French)
• Annecy photos guide (French)
• The former mayor of Annecy Bernard Bosson (French)
• Satellite's view of Annecy's Lake
• Official web site of the Association Annecy Traditions, organizer (English)
• The International Animated Film Festival
• Festival du film italien d'Annecy
• Annecy City (English) (French)
• Annecy Tourist guide (French)
• Association of the Friends of the Old Annecy (French)