Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

and

largest city The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metrop ...

of the

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefectures in France, prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Gene ...

department in the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of

Lake Annecy Lake Annecy (, ) is a perialpine lake in Haute-Savoie in France. It is named after the city of Annecy, which marks the start of the Thiou, Lake Annecy's outflow river.Jean-Daniel Stanley and Thomas F. Jorstad, ''Direct Sediment Dispersal from Moun ...

, south of

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, Switzerland. Nicknamed the "Pearl of the French Alps" in

Raoul Blanchard Raoul Blanchard (4 September 1877 – 24 March 1965) was a French geographer. He taught at the University of Grenoble from 1906 and devoted most of his research to Alpine and Canadian geography. Early life The son of an inspector of the Depart ...

's monograph describing its location between lake and mountains, the town controls the northern entrance to the lake gorge. Due to a lack of available building land between the lake and the protected

Semnoz Semnoz () is a mountain of Haute-Savoie, France. It lies in the Bauges range. It has an altitude of above sea level. The mountain is crossed by the D41/D110 road near to the Crêt de Chatillon at an altitude of . Tour de France The penultimate s ...

mountain, its population has remained stable, around 50,000 inhabitants, since 1950. However, the 2017 merger with several ex-communes extended the population of the city to 128,199 inhabitants and that of the

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

to 177,622, placing Annecy seventh in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Switching from the

counts of Geneva The County of Geneva, largely corresponding to the later Genevois province, originated in the tenth century, in the Burgundian Kingdom of Arles (Arelat) which fell to the Holy Roman Empire in 1032. History Several nobles had held the title of a ...

's dwelling in the 13th century, to the

counts of Savoy The titles of the count of Savoy, and then duke of Savoy, are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the House of Savoy held the county. Several of these rulers ruled as kings at ...

's in the 14th century, the city became

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

's capital in 1434 during the Genevois-Nemours prerogative until 1659. Its role increased in 1536, during the

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

in Geneva, while the bishop took refuge in Annecy. Saint

Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, Congregation of the Oratory, C.O., Order of Minims, O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard state, Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became n ...

gave Annecy its advanced Catholic citadel role known as

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

. The

annexation of Savoy The term annexation of Savoy to France is used to describe the union of all of Savoy—including the future Departments of France, departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie, which corresponded to the eponymous duchy—and the County of Nice, which ...

merged the city to France in 1860. Sometimes called "Venice of the Alps", this idyllic and touristic representation comes from the three canals and the

Thiou The Thiou () is a short river in the city of Annecy, France. It is long. It is an effluent of Lake Annecy and an affluent of the Fier, which is in turn a tributary of the Rhône. The Thiou is considered one of the cleanest rivers in Europe ...

river, which passes through the old city. The city experienced an industrial development in the 19th century with silk manufacturing. Some of its industrial legacy remains today with the headquarters of NTN-SNR bearings, Salomon, Entremont and

Dassault Aviation Dassault Aviation SA () is a French Aerospace manufacturer, manufacturer of military aircraft and business jets. It was founded in 1929 by Marcel Dassault, Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (Marcel Bloch Aircraft Company). After ...

. From the end of the 20th 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 was awarded the "Golden Flower" in 2015, given to the nine most-flowered French cities.

History

Early history

Le vieil Annecy ("Old Annecy"; not to be confused with

Annecy-le-Vieux Annecy-le-Vieux () was a former commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. On 1 January 2017, it merged into the commune of Annecy.Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

. Annecy was the court of the

or Genevois from the 10th century. It passed to the

in 1401. In 1444, it became the regional capital of the provinces of Genevois,

Faucigny Faucigny (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Historically, Faucigny was a region in Savoy which included the area of the modern ''département'' of Haute Savoie and the ...

and

Beaufortain Beaufortain is a valley in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and ...

Counter-Reformation

With the advance of

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

, Annecy became a centre for the

, the old

Bishopric of Geneva The Diocese of Geneva was a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese in part of Switzerland and Savoy from 400 to 1801, when it merged with the Diocese of Chambéry. The merged diocese was later broken up, due to changes in national bou ...

being transferred to it in 1535. Francis of Sales was born in Sales, France in 1567 and served as bishop of

Annecy Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...

from 1602 to 1622; his relics are preserved in the cathedral. During the French Revolution, the Savoy region was conquered by France. Annecy became attached to the department of

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

, whose capital was

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the southeastern ...

.Almanach Impérial an bissextil MDCCCXII
p. 437-438, accessed in Gallica 23 May 2017 The Catholic diocese was suppressed in 1801.

1815–present

After the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

in 1815, Annecy was returned to the

King of Sardinia Sardinia is traditionally known to have been initially ruled by the Nuragic civilization, which was followed by Greek colonization, conquest by the Carthagians, Carthaginians, and occupied by the Ancient Rome, Romans for around a thousand years, ...

and the Catholic diocese restored in 1822. The Hôtel de Ville (city hall) was completed in 1851. When Savoy was annexed to France in 1860 with the Treaty of Turin, it became the capital of the new department of

. Annecy was the site of the second round of

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is a legal agreement between many countries, whose overall purpose was to promote international trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers such as tariffs or quotas. According to its p ...

(GATT) talks in 1949. In 2012, a

multiple murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

occurred in the Annecy area. Annecy Panorama

The new municipality was established on 1 January 2017 by merger with the former communes of

Annecy-le-Vieux Annecy-le-Vieux () was a former commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. On 1 January 2017, it merged into the commune of Annecy.Cran-Gevrier Cran-Gevrier (; ) is a former commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Annecy. Geography Cran-Gevrier is in the west of Annecy. Part of ...

Meythet Meythet (; ) is a former commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Annecy.Pringy and Seynod.

Administration

Annecy is part of four cantons ( Annecy-1, Annecy-2, Annecy-3 and Annecy-4); it is the prefecture of

. Since 2017, Annecy has consisted of six delegate cities: Annecy; Annecy-le-Vieux; Cran-Gevrier; Meythet; Pringy; and Seynod.

Local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

consists of a

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

with 202 members. The number of members in each commune delegate depends upon its population. The Mayor is Jean-Luc Rigaut (

UDI Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi Hills, Enugu State, Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People Given name * Udi Aloni (born 1959), Israeli-American film ...

) since 2007. The

intercommunality A () is a level of administrative division in the French Republic. French are analogous to civil townships and incorporated municipalities in Canada and the United States; ' in Germany; ' in Italy; ' in Spain; or civil parishes in the Uni ...

of Annecy,

Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Annecy Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Annecy is the ''communauté d'agglomération'', an intercommunal structure, centred on the city of Annecy. It is located in the Haute-Savoie department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, southeastern Fran ...

, includes 34 municipalities.

Geography

The

Fier Fier (; sq-definite, Fieri, Latin: ''Fierum'') is the seventh most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Fier County and Fier Municipality. It is situated on the bank of Gjanica River in the Myzeqe Plain between the Seman in ...

forms part of the commune's northwestern border. The surrounding mountains are

Mont Veyrier Mont Veyrier () is a mountain located in the French Alps, in Haute Savoie. It culminates at , and dominates the east side of Lake Annecy Lake Annecy (, ) is a perialpine lake in Haute-Savoie in France. It is named after the city of Annecy, which ...

, Mont Semnoz,

La Tournette La Tournette () (2,351 m or 7,713ft) is a mountain in the Bornes Massif in Haute-Savoie, France. It is the highest of the mountains surrounding Lake Annecy and has a prominence of 1,514 (4,967ft), qualifying it as an Ultra prominent peak, Ultra. ...

and Parmelan.

Climate

Annecy has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: Cfb) despite its relatively far inland position. Influenced by its elevation, summers are rather moderate on average, although they can be highly variable with extreme heat spikes. Winters see occasional freezing temperatures, but temperatures most often stay in the single-digits during the daytime with frequent cold rain.

Air frost Freezing, available onlinlibrary.wmo.int/ref> or frost occurs when the air temperature falls below the freezing point of water (0 °C, 32 °F, 273 K). This is usually measured at the height of 1.2 metres above the ground surfac ...

s are normal during the night and snowfall is not uncommon.

Culture

Annecy has hosted the

Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...

since 1960 and the Rencontres Internationales d'Annecy Cinéma & Architecture since 1999 and it was one of the oldest festivals in France.

Sport

On 23 July 2009, Annecy played host to Stage 18 of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

, as the start/finish point for an individual time trial around

. It was also the start town for stage 10 of the

2018 Tour de France The 2018 Tour de France was the 105th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 race stage, stages, starting on 7 July in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, in western France, and ...

on 17 July 2018. Annecy launched a bid to host the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

but lost to

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang ( , ; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seo ...

. If they had been chosen, Annecy would have been the fourth French city to host the Winter Olympic Games, after

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

(

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

(

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

), and

Albertville Albertville (; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is best k ...

(

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

former team

Évian Thonon Gaillard F.C. Evian (, ; , stylized as evian) is a French brand that bottles mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. Evian is owned by Danone, a French multinational corporation. In addition to the miner ...

played their home matches in Annecy. The club was founded in 2007, they grew up to reach Ligue 1, and stayed for four 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 Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like 'pod' suspended be ...

, 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.

Main sights

* The Palais de l'Isle is a 12th-century castle on an island in the river

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 Palais de l'Isle was classified as a

Historical Monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

in 1900, and today houses a local history museum. * The

Château d'Annecy The Château d'Annecy is a restored castle which dominates the old French town of Annecy in the Haute-Savoie ''Departments of France, département''. It was bought by the town, restored and transformed into a museum, ''le musée-château d'Annec ...

(Annecy Castle) was the home of the

Counts of Geneva The County of Geneva, largely corresponding to the later Genevois province, originated in the tenth century, in the Burgundian Kingdom of Arles (Arelat) which fell to the Holy Roman Empire in 1032. History Several nobles had held the title of a ...

and the Dukes of Genevois-Nemours, an offshoot * The 15th century Église Saint-Maurice

Education

Université Savoie Mont Blanc Université Savoie Mont Blanc (, a.k.a. USMB) is a public university in the Haute-Savoie and Savoie departments of France, with one campus in Annecy, Haute-Savoie and two near Chambéry, Savoie. Campuses The university was officially founded in ...

* Polytech'Savoie

Population

Research organisations

* LAPP Laboratoire d'Annecy-le-Vieux de Physique des Particules specialized in Physics * LISTIC The Computer Science, Systems, Information and Knowledge Processing Laboratory * Mecatronics department of CETIM * Different R&D activities in the Université de Savoie and its École Polytechnique d'Ingenieurs: Polytech'Savoie.

Economy

In the 19th century, the primary manufactures were

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

and cotton goods,

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware) includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. While most cutlers ...

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed Vitrification#Ceramics, nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids ...

, and

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

. The area also carried on linen bleaching and

iron mining Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

. By the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, it was connected by rail to

Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; ; ), known locally and simply as Aix, is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern French Departments of France, department of Savoie.felt hats, and

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

, as well as a "celebrated"

bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

foundry at Annecy-le-Vieux. Companies located in and around Annecy include: *

Salomon Group Salomon SAS is a French sports equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Annecy, France. It was founded in 1947 by François Salomon in the heart of the French Alps and is a major brand in outdoor sports equipment. Salomon is owned by ...

adixen Vacuum Products Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology AG is a German manufacturer of vacuum pumps. It is headquartered in Aßlar in Germany with 70% of the total production catering to the export market. In July 1996 the company was listed on the NYSE and in April 1998 on ...

Sopra Group Sopra Steria is a European-based consulting, digital services, and software development company with 50,000 consultants. The company is headquartered in Paris and has operations in several countries in Western Europe. Sopra Steria has a new c ...

Ubisoft Annecy Ubisoft is a French video game publisher headquartered in Montreuil, founded in March 1986 by the Guillemot brothers. Since its establishment, Ubisoft has become one of the largest video game publishers, and it has the largest in-house developm ...

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.

Twin towns – sister cities

Annecy is twinned with: *

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

, Germany *

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Liptovský Mikuláš Liptovský Mikuláš (; until 1952 ''Liptovský Svätý Mikuláš'', ; ) is a town in northern Slovakia, on the Váh River, about from Bratislava. It lies in the Liptov region, in Podtatranská kotlina, Liptov Basin near the Low Tatra and Tat ...

, Slovakia * Sainte-Thérèse, Canada *

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...

, Italy

Associations

Together with other Alpine towns Annecy engages in the

Alpine Town of the Year The Alpine Town of the Year award is given to towns which have made exceptional efforts for the realization of the Alpine Convention and for sustainable development. The ''Alpine Towns of the Year'' are members of the international association of ...

Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc. Annecy was also

2012.

Notable people

Bernard Accoyer Bernard Accoyer (, born 12 August 1945 in Lyon) is a French politician who was President of the National Assembly of France from 2007 to 2012. He was also the Mayor of Annecy-le-Vieux.President of the National Assembly 2007 to 2012 and Mayor of

Annecy-le-Vieux Annecy-le-Vieux () was a former commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. On 1 January 2017, it merged into the commune of Annecy.Bernard Bosson Bernard Bosson (25 February 1948 – 16 May 2017) was a French politician and lawyer. He served as Minister of Transport, Minister of Tourism, and Minister of Public Works under Prime Minister Édouard Balladur from 1993 to 1995. He was a member ...

(1948–2017), politician, Govt. minister & Mayor of Annecy *

Jules Bouyer Jules Bouyer (born 22 July 2002) is a French diver. Career Bouyer started diving at a very young age. His potential was detected by his trainer who allowed him to join INSEP. Bouyer finished in 11th place in the 3-metre springboard event at ...

(born 2002), diver *

Eustace Chapuys Eustace Chapuys (; c. 1489/90/92 – 21 January 1556) was a Savoyard diplomat who served as Imperial ambassador to England from 1529 until 1545 under Charles V. He is best known for his extensive and detailed correspondence. Early life and edu ...

(–1556), Imperial ambassador to the English Court of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

(1567–1622), bishop of Geneva / Annecy and Catholic Saint. *

André Dussollier André Dussollier (born 17 February 1946) is a French actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the ...

(born 1946), actor *

Emmanuel Leducq-Barôme Emmanuel Leducq-Barôme (born 1971) is a French conducting, conductor. Life Leducq-Barôme received his education first in France (Conservatoire de Lyon, Conservatoire de Paris), then in Switzerland (Conservatoire de Musique de Genève) and in ...

(born 1971), conductor, works in Russia * Bernard Miège (born 1941), a media theorist and academic administrator. * Guillaume Perret (born 1980), jazz musician and composer *

Emmanuel Tarpin Emmanuel Tarpin (born 1992) is a French contemporary jewelry designer. Since 2018, he founded his self-titled atelier for high-end jewelry. He lives in Paris. Biography Emmanuel Tarpin was born in 1992 in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France. In child ...

(born 1992), contemporary jewelry designer *

Cécile Vogt-Mugnier Cécile Vogt-Mugnier (27 March 1875 – 4 May 1962) was a French neurologist from Haute-Savoie. She and her husband Oskar Vogt are known for their extensive cytoarchetecture studies on the brain. Professional life Education and career Vogt-Mu ...

(1875–1962), brain researcher

Sport

Louis Lachenal Louis Lachenal (17 July 1921 – 25 November 1955), a French climber born in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, was one of the first two mountaineers to climb a summit of more than 8,000 meters. On 3 June 1950 on the 1950 French Annapurna expedition, along ...

(1921–1955), alpinist, one of the first two mountaineers to climb a summit of more than 8,000 meters. *

Bernard Collomb Bernard Marie François Alexandre Collomb-Clerc (7 October 1930 – 19 September 2011) was a Formula One driver from France. He participated in six World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 2 July 1961, scoring no championship points. He almos ...

(1930–2011), racing driver *

Vincent Vittoz Vincent Vittoz (born 17 July 1975 in Annecy, Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefecture ...

(born 1975), cross-country skier *

Johan Clarey Johan Clarey (born 8 January 1981) is a French World Cup alpine ski racer. He specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G. Born in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, Clarey made his World Cup debut in November 2003 and has ten World Cup podium ...

(born 1981), alpine skier, silver medallist at the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

Thomas Fanara Thomas Fanara (born 24 April 1981) is a former French World Cup alpine ski racer. Born in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, Fanara specialised in giant slalom; his only win came in March 2016 at the giant slalom finals in St. Moritz, Switzerland. He is the ...

(born 1981), alpine skier, competed in three Winter Olympics * David Poisson (born 1982), alpine skier, competed in two Winter Olympics *

Steve Missillier Steve Missillier (born 12 December 1984) is a French alpine skier and non-commissioned officer. Missillier represented France at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and won a silver medal in giant slalom at the 2014 Winter Olympics Th ...

(born 1984), alpine skier, silver medallist at the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

Jonathan Midol Jonathan Midol (born 13 January 1988) is a French freestyle skier and Olympic medalist. He was born in Annecy. He competed in ski cross at the World Ski Championships 2013, and at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p ...

(born 1988), freestyle skier, bronze medallist at the

Christophe Lemaitre Christophe Lemaitre (; born 11 June 1990) is a former French people, French Sprint (running), sprinter who specialised in the 100 metres, 100 and 200 metres. In 2010, Lemaitre became the first white athlete to break the 10-second barrier in an o ...

(born 1990), sprinter, bronze medallist at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

Côme Ledogar Côme Norbert Ledogar (born 23 May 1991) is a professional racing driver from France. He is best known for winning the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup overall title in 2016, with Robert Bell and Shane van Gisbergen, and for winning the 2021 24 ...

(born 1991), racing driver *

Axelle Mollaret Axelle Mollaret (born 3 September 1992 in Annecy, Haute-Savoie) is a French skyrunner and ski mountaineer. Biography She is physiotherapist. She has been member of the Ski Mountaineering French national selection since 2013. In 2015 she wo ...

(born 1992), physiotherapist, skyrunner and ski mountaineer *

Hugo Lapalus Hugo Lapalus (born 9 July 1998) is a French cross-country skier. Cross-country skiing results All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS). Olympic Games * 1 medal (1 bronze) Distance reduced to 30 km due to weath ...

(born 1998), cross-country skier, team bronze medallist at the

Sacha Fenestraz Sacha Fenestraz Jules (born 28 July 1999) is a French Argentines, French-Argentine racing driver competing in the 2025 Super Formula Championship, driving for TOM'S, TOM'S Racing. He is the 2017 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 champion. Early caree ...

(born 1999), French-Argentine racing driver *

Loana Lecomte Loana Lecomte (born 8 August 1999) is a French Cross-country cycling, cross-country and mountain bike Cycle sport, cyclist. Career In her first season as a junior in 2016, Lecomte became French champion and won several races of the Coupe de Fran ...

(born 1999), cross-country mountain bike cyclist *

Sébastien Baud Sébastien Baud (born 6 July 2000) is a French racing driver. He is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship, driving in the LMGT3 class for TF Sport. Career Baud raced in karting during his youth, notably competing in th ...

(born 2000), racing driver

Associated with the city

Jane Frances de Chantal Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name including list of persons and characters with the name * Jane (surname), related to the given name including list of persons and characters with the name Film and television * ''Jan ...

(1572–1641), Holy of the Catholic Church, founded in Annecy the Order of Salesian Sisters * Jean Coppier, of the Coppier family, notary in Annecy in 1396.Gustave Chaix d'Est-Ange *

Claude Favre de Vaugelas Claude Favre de Vaugelas (6 January 1585 – 26 February 1650) was a Savoyard grammarian and man of letters. Although a lifelong courtier, Claude Favre was widely known by the name of one of the landed estates he owned as ''seigneur'' of Va ...

(1585–1650), man of letters, philologist and grammarian. *

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

(1712–1778), writer and philosopher, spent some time in Annecy. *

Claude Louis Berthollet Claude Louis Berthollet (, 9 December 1748 – 6 November 1822) was a Savoyard-French chemist who became vice president of the French Senate in 1804. He is known for his scientific contributions to the theory of chemical equilibria via the ...

(1748–1822), physician and chemist, began medical studies locally in 1760. *

Eugène Sue Marie-Joseph "Eugène" Sue (; 26 January 18043 August 1857) was a French novelist. He was one of several authors who popularized the genre of the serial novel in France with his very popular and widely imitated '' The Mysteries of Paris'', whi ...

(1804–1857), writer, spent his last years in exile in Annecy and died there.

Gallery

Annecy 1.jpg, Annecy, the "Venice of the Alps" Annecy 2.jpg, ''Palais de l'Isle jail'' Annecy 3.jpg, Houses along the

river Annecy 4.jpg, Restaurants along the Thiou river Annecy 5.jpg, Thiou river Annecy 6.jpg, Thiou river Jail in annecy.jpg, ''Palais de l'Isle jail'' by night Annecy Château 7.JPG, Annecy Château Sights in Annecy (2719914688).jpg, View of the Canal Annecy-lac1.jpg,

from the south dock of Annecy Church of St Francis, Annecy.jpg, Church of St. Francis Imperial Hotel, Annecy, France.jpg, Imperial Hotel

Notes

References

* *

External links

Annecy town website
{{Authority control Prefectures in France Communes of Haute-Savoie Cities in France Ski areas and resorts in France

History

Early history

Counter-Reformation

1815–present

Administration

Geography

Climate

Culture

Sport

Main sights

Education

Population

Research organisations

Economy

Transport

Twin towns – sister cities

Associations

Notable people

Sport

Associated with the city

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links