Chamonix is situated in theFrench Alps just north ofMont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe. Between the peaks of theAiguilles Rouges and the notableAiguille du Midi, it borders bothSwitzerland andItaly. It is one of the oldest ski resorts in France, popular with alpinists and mountain enthusiasts. Viathe cable car lift to the Aiguille du Midi it is possible to access theoff-piste ski run of theVallée Blanche ('white valley').
The name Campum munitum, meaning fortified plain or field, had been used as early as 1091. By 1283 the name had been abbreviated to a similar form to the modern Chamonis. Other forms through the ages include Chamouny in 1581, Chamony in 1652, Chamouni in 1786, and the particular spelling Chamonix from 1793.
As with manypolysyllabicArpitananthroponyms, the final -x marksoxytonic stress (on the last syllable), whereas the final -z indicatesparoxytonic stress (on the penultimate syllable) and should not be pronounced, although in French it is often mispronounced due tohypercorrection.
Chamonix is the fourth-largest commune inmetropolitan France, with an area of 245 km2 (95 sq mi). Its population of around 8,900 ranks 1,089th within the country of France.[7]
The valley was first mentioned in 1091, when it was granted by the Count of theGenevois to the greatBenedictine house ofSt. Michel de la Cluse, nearTurin, which by the early 13th century had established a priory there.[8] However, in 1786 the inhabitants bought their freedom from the canons ofSallanches, to whom the priory had been transferred in 1519.[citation needed]
In 1530, the inhabitants obtained from the Count of the Genevois the privilege of holding two fairs a year, while the valley was often visited by the civil officials and by the bishops ofGeneva (first recorded visit in 1411, while St.Francis de Sales came there in 1606).[citation needed] But travellers for pleasure were very rare.
Chamonix was part of the historical land of Savoy and emerged as the feudal territory of theHouse of Savoy during the 11th to 14th centuries. The historical territory is shared between the modern countries of France, Italy and Switzerland. The House of Savoy became the longest surviving royal house in Europe. It ruled the County of Savoy to 1416 and then the Duchy of Savoy from 1416 to 1860.[citation needed]
The growth of tourism in the early 19th century led to the formation of theCompagnie des Guides de Chamonix in 1821, to regulate access to the mountain slopes (which were communally or co-operatively owned), and this association held a monopoly of guiding from the town until it was broken by French government action in 1892; thereafter guides were required to hold a diploma issued by a commission dominated by civil servants and members of theFrench Alpine Club rather than local residents.[citation needed]
From the late 19th century on, tourist development was dominated by national and international initiatives rather than local entrepreneurs, though the local community was increasingly dependent upon and active in the tourist industry.[citation needed]
The commune successfully lobbied to change its name from Chamonix to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in 1916.[citation needed] However, following the loss of its monopoly, theCompagnie reformed as an association of local guides, and retained an important role in local society; it provided the services of afriendly society to its members, and in the 20th century many of them were noted mountaineers and popularisers of mountain tourism, notably the novelist Roger Frison-Roche, the first member of theCompagnie not to be born in Chamonix.
Chamonix Valley: crossing the glacier on foot (between 1902 and 1904)
Serving as the host city for the firstWinter Olympic Games in1924 further raised Chamonix's profile as an international tourist destination.
Duringthe Second World War, a Children's Home operated in Chamonix, in which several dozens of Jewish children were hidden from the Nazis. Some of those who hid them were recognised as "Righteous Among the Nations".[9]
By the 1960s, agriculture had been reduced to a marginal activity, while the number of tourist beds available rose to around 60,000 by the end of the 20th century, with about 5 million visitors a year.[citation needed]
The commune of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc includes 16 villages and hamlets. From north to south: Le Tour 1,462 m (4,797 ft),[10] Montroc, Le Planet,Argentière 1,252 m (4,108 ft),[10] Les Chosalets, Le Lavancher, Les Tines, Les Bois,Les-Praz-de-Chamonix 1,060 m (3,478 ft),[10] Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Les Pècles, Les Mouilles, Les Barrats, Les Pélerins, Les Gaillands, and Les Bossons 1,012 m (3,320 ft).[10]
Chamonix is awinter sports resort town that still attracts skiers ready to test themselves both on the pistes in the official area and against the challenges of the backcountry skiing.[14] As the highest European mountain west of Russia,[15] Mont Blanc attractsmountain climbers. Chamonix is known as the "Gateway to the European Cascades." TheUltra-Trail du Mont-Blanc has been held every August since 2003.
There is acable car up to the 3,842 m (12,605 ft)Aiguille du Midi. Constructed in 1955, it was then the highest cable car in the world[16] and remains the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world.[17]
The town of Chamonix is served by FrenchRoute Nationale 205 (RN 205), nicknamed theRoute blanche,[19] or "white route", due to its snowiness. This is an extension of Frenchautoroute 40 (A40), similarly nicknamed theautoroute blanche, which ends at Le Fayet, a village in the commune ofSaint-Gervais-les-Bains.[20] The 11.6-kmMont Blanc Tunnel, which opened in 1965, links Chamonix toCourmayeur in Italy.[21] Chamonix is linked to Switzerland by what used to be RN 506a. In 2006, it was converted to aRoute Départementale [fr] 1506, with a part of it integrated into RN 205.The nearest airport to Chamonix isGeneva Airport and it is 88 kilometres (55 miles) away.[citation needed]
The 5.1-kmMontenvers Railway is acog railway that provides access to the tourist site of Montenvers. Opened in 1909, its rail station was built next to SNCF'sChamonix station on the St Gervais-Vallorcine Line. In fact the two stations are directly linked.[23] Montenvers provides further tourist access to middle and high mountain areas.[24]
Chamonix has one of the highest cable cars in the world, which links the town to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi at 3842 m.[25] It is based on an older system built in 1920, rebuilt in the first half of the 1950s over five summer seasons,[26] fully modernized in 1979, and upgraded again in 2008. On the other side of the valley, another cable car links Chamonix to the viewpoint of Planpraz. A second line links Planpraz to the summit of Le Brévent at 2525 meters.[27][28] Many other cable cars exist in the valley, and are heavily used by skiers and residents. The Plan Joran chairlift at the base of Les Grands Montets is due to be replaced by a 10-person gondola for the Winter 2014/15 season.[29]
Venance Payot (1826–1902), a naturalist, glaciologist, mountain-guide, scholar, author and twice mayor of Chamonix
Edward Whymper (1840-1911), the English mountaineer, explorer, illustrator, and author best known for thefirst ascent of theMatterhorn, died here in 1911
Joseph Vallot (1854–1925), a scientist, astronomer, botanist, geographer, cartographer and alpinist
^abThe Development of the Appreciation of Mountain Scenery in Modern Times, Walter Woodburn Hyde, Geographical Review, Vol. 3, No. 2 (February 1917), pp. 107–118
^"International Exchange".List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived fromthe original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved21 November 2015.
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