Albertville (; Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a subprefecture of the

Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population o ...

department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in Southeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. It is best known for hosting the

1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 February 1992 , closing = 23 February 1992 , opened_by = President François Mitterrand , cauldron ...

and

Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

. In 2018, the commune had a population of 19,214; its

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...

had 39,780 inhabitants.

Geography

Albertville is one of two subprefectures of the

department, alongside Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. Albertville is situated on the river Arly, close to the confluence with the river Isère. Its altitude ranges from . Nearby

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

s include: Belle Étoile, Dent de Cons,

Négresse Négresse is a mountain of Savoie, France. It lies in the Bauges range. It has an elevation of 1,720 metres above sea level. Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Savoie {{Savoie-geo-stub ...

Roche Pourrie Roche Pourrie is a mountain of Savoie, France. It lies in the Beaufortain Massif range. It has an elevation of 2,037 metres above sea level. Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Savoie {{Savoie-geo-stub ...

, Mirantin, Pointe de la Grande Journée, Chaîne du Grand Arc. Nearby

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

s include the Bauges, the

Beaufortain Beaufortain is a valley in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It extends around the commune of Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobil ...

and the beginning of the Vanoise.

History

The modern city of Albertville was formed in 1836 by King

Charles Albert of Sardinia Charles Albert (; 2 October 1798 – 28 July 1849) was the King of Sardinia from 27 April 1831 until 23 March 1849. His name is bound up with the first Italian constitution, the Albertine Statute, and with the First Italian War of Independence ...

, who merged the medieval town of Conflans, which had buildings dating to the 14th century, with the town of L'Hôpital. Since then, Albertville has fostered trade between France, Italy and Switzerland. Industries such as paper mills and

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined a ...

are found along its river. The

were organised in the Savoie region, with Albertville hosting it. Some of the sports venues were later adapted for other uses. Some sports venues still remain, such as the

ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...

, La halle de glace Olympique, designed by the architect Jacques Kalisz. Despite this, the town remains more industrial than touristic.Politique économique
albertville.fr (in French) In 2003, the town was labelled a " Town of Art and History".

Population

Transport

Albertville station Albertville station (French: ''Gare d'Albertville'') is a railway station in Albertville, Savoie, Southeastern France. The station, opened on 27 October 1879 by the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM), is located on both ...

was put into service in 1879 by the Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM).

Notable people

* Gérard Mourou (born 1944), Nobel Prize winner in Physics, 2018 * Justine Braisaz (born 1996), Olympic champion and world medalist in biathlon *

Jean-Luc Crétier Jean-Luc Crétier (born April 28, 1966 in Albertville, Savoie) is a retired French World Cup alpine ski racer. He was one of the four members of the "Top Guns" team, created and trained by Serge Guillaume outwith the mainstream of the Fr ...

(born 1966), Olympic champion in alpine skiing ( WOC 1998, downhill) *

Léa Lemare Léa Lemare (born 21 June 1996 in Albertville, France), is a French ski jumper and the 2013 National Champion. Lemare started ski jumping at the age of seven. From 2011 on she has represented France in the World Cup. In Lillehammer (3 December ...

(born 1996), ski jumper and national champion *

Florine De Leymarie Florine de Leymarie (born 9 May 1981) is a French Alpine skier. She is tall and weighs . She participated in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important busine ...

(born 1981), skier * Jérôme Jarre (born 1990), comedian on the Vine app * Julia Simon (biathlete) (born 1996), world champion in biathlon

Sites of interest

* La halle de glace Olympique, or the Olympic ice hall, the ice arena that hosted events during the

. * L'anneau de vitesse, or speed oval, the athletic stadium that previously served as the site of the speed skating competitions of 1992 Winter Olympics.

International relations

Albertville is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Aosta Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

* Winnenden,

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

* Sainte-Adèle, Quebec,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

, which like Albertville, hosted a Winter Olympics, doing so in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Heraldry

References

External links

City council website

(in French)

in English) {{authority control Communes of Savoie Subprefectures in France Populated places established in 1836 Ceutrones