Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

region of Southeastern France, bordering both

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and Italy. Its

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''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 international ...

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed ...

. To the north is Lake Geneva; to the south and southeast are Mont Blanc and the Aravis mountain range. It holds its name from the

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) 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. Savo ...

historical region, as does the department of Savoie, located south of Haute-Savoie. In 2019, it had a population of 826,094.Populations légales 2019: 74 Haute-Savoie
INSEE Its subprefectures are Bonneville, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois and Thonon-les-Bains. The French entrance to the Mont Blanc Tunnel into Italy is in Haute-Savoie. It is noted for winter sports; the first Winter Olympic Games were held at Chamonix in

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– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

History

The historical region of

was governed by the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

, the ruling dynasty of Savoy from 1032 to 1860. The

Duchy of Savoy The Duchy of Savoy ( it, Ducato di Savoia; french: Duché de Savoie) was a country in Western Europe that existed from 1416. It was created when Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, raised the County of Savoy into a duchy for Amadeus VIII. The duc ...

were rulers of the Savoy region from 1416 to 1720. The territory occupied by modern Haute-Savoie and the adjoining department of Savoie became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Annexation of the region by France was formalised in the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860. From November 1942 to September 1943, Haute-Savoie was subjected to military occupation by

Fascist Italy Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

. The Maquis des Glières (a band of Free French Resistance fighters who opposed the Nazi, Vichy and Milice regimes during World War II) operated from Haute-Savoie. In the winter of 1943–1944, German troops burned down around 500 farms in response to French Resistance activities.

Politics

Departmental Council of Haute-Savoie

The Departmental Council of Haute-Savoie has 34 seats. As of 2020, fifteen councillors are part of the Haute-Savoie Union group ( miscellaneous right), fourteen are part of the Avenir Haute-Savoie group ( The Republicans) and five are part of the Union du Centre group ( The Centrists). Martial Saddier had been President of the Departmental Council since 2021.

Representation in Paris

National Assembly

Haute-Savoie elected the following members of the National Assembly in the 2017 legislative election:

Senate

Haute-Savoie sends three Senators to Parliament.

Loïc Hervé Loïc or Loick is a male personal forename chiefly used in Brittany, in western France, and in the Breton community in French-speaking countries. Origins ''Loïc'' is a Breton given name, based on ''Laou'', a Breton diminutive of Gwilherm or G ...

and

Cyril Pellevat Cyril (also Cyrillus or Cyryl) is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek name Κύριλλος (''Kýrillos''), meaning 'lordly, masterful', which in turn derives from Greek κυριος (''kýrios'') 'lord'. There are various varian ...

were both elected in 2014;

Sylviane Noël Sylviane Noël (born 27 January 1978) is a French politician. She has served as a member of the Senate of France since 2018, representing the Haute-Savoie department. Noël is the first women to represent the department in the Senate. She is a mem ...

took office in 2018.

Geography

Haute-Savoie comprises four arrondissements, divided into 279 communes and 17 cantons. To the north, it borders the Swiss canton of Geneva and Lake Geneva; to the east the Swiss

canton of Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the Sw ...

and Italy's Aosta Valley; to the west the French department of Ain; and to the south the department of Savoie. Haute-Savoie has the largest range of elevations of all the departments in France; the lowest point is in the Rhône Valley, and the highest Mont Blanc at . Some of the world's best-known ski resorts are in Haute-Savoie. The terrain of the department includes the Alpine Mont Blanc range; the French Prealps of the Aravis Range, the

Chablais Chablais () was a province of the Duchy of Savoy. Its capital was Thonon-les-Bains. Chablais was elevated to a duchy in 1311 by Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor. This region is currently divided into three territories, the ''Chablais savoyard'', the ...

, Bornes and Bauges Alps; and the peneplains of Genevois haut-savoyard and Albanais (known collectively as ''L'Avant-pays savoyard''). Its mountainous terrain makes

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

es important to trade and economic life. Some of the most important are the

Col de la Forclaz Col de la Forclaz (el. ) is a mountain pass in the Alps in the Canton of Valais in Switzerland. It connects Martigny at and Le Châtelard (Finhaut). The road from Martigny to the Col has an average gradient of 6% but in parts is closer to 8%. ...

(which connects Chamonix to the canton of Valais) and the Mont Blanc Tunnel, linking Chamonix to Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley.

Forests

As of 1996, of Haute-Savoie is forested (38.8 percent of the total land area), compared to 34.4 percent for the Rhone-Alpes region and 27.1 percent for France as a whole. Of the forested area (79 percent) is managed for timber and other forest products, with the remaining having no commercial value or used for outdoor recreation. Haute-Savoie-OSM

National nature reserves are designated by the French government as areas where an outstanding

natural heritage Natural heritage refers to the sum total of the elements of biodiversity, including flora and fauna, ecosystems and geological structures. It forms part of our natural resources. Definition Heritage is that which is ''inherited'' from past gener ...

is present in both rare and typical areas in terms of species and geology. Management is charged to local organizations, with direction and evaluation focusing on long-term protection for future generations and environmental education. Of the of land not managed for timber, Haute-Savoie has nine national nature reserves totaling . *

Aiguilles Rouges National Nature Reserve The Aiguilles Rouges National Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located in the Aiguilles Rouges mountain range in the Haute-Savoie department in southeastern France. Localisation In the Haute-Savoie department, on the northern side of the ...

– *

Bout du Lac d'Annecy National Nature Reserve Bout can mean: People *Viktor Bout, suspected arms dealer *Jan Everts Bout, early settler to New Netherland *Marcel Bout Musical instruments * The outward-facing round parts of the body shape of violins, guitars, and other stringed instrumen ...

– * Carlaveyron National Nature Reserve – * Contamines-Montjoie National Nature Reserve – * Delta de la Dranse National Nature Reserve – * Passy National Nature Reserve – *

Roc de Chère National Nature Reserve The Roc de Chère National Nature Reserve is a major ecology, ecologic site in southeastern France. A protected nature reserve since 1977, it covers a small area of . It is located near the commune of Talloires, on the eastern bank of Lake Annecy ...

– * Sixt-Passy National Nature Reserve – * Vallon de Bérard National Nature Reserve –

Lakes

Haute-Savoie has significant freshwater resources. Lake Annecy is a major attraction, along with the town of Évian-les-Bains, perhaps the best-known town on the French shore of Lake Geneva, and known worldwide for its Evian mineral water. Haute-Savoie is entirely within the

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

of the Rhone.

Demographics

Population development since 1861:

Principal towns

The most populous commune is

, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 15,000 inhabitants:

Education and research

The research sector in Haute-Savoie filed 201 patents in 2000. It is represented by: * Laboratory for Particle Physics in Annecy-le-Vieux * Technology Center Engineering Industries (CETIM) * Research laboratories related to Polytech Savoie, ESIA and Savoy University * Technical center for screw-machining industry (CTDEC) in Cluses * The Thésame - mechatronics and management

Economy

Agriculture

In 2006 approximately of land was suitable for agriculture, of which (24 percent) was arable land suitable for market gardening, cultivation or pasture; was orchards; was vineyards, and was

alpine tundra Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated alpine climate, harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alp ...

or grasses. There were 4,450 farmers in 1999, 4,800 farmers and over 1,700 full-time farm employees at the end of 2006. In 1999, crop production was valued at €71.5 million and animal production at €165.4 million. Reblochon AOC

Dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

production is a large part of the Haute-Savoie economy, earning €117.2 million in 2006 and representing 74 percent of the net animal-product worth. Cattle earned €29.7 million.

Cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

production (by variety) in 1999 (except as noted) was: * Reblochon – 16,950 tons *

Tomme de Savoie Tomme de Savoie is an uplandJoel Robuchon et al., ''Larousse Gastronomique'' (New York, New York: Clarkson Potter, 2001), page 1220. variety of Tomme cheese, specifically, one from Savoy in the French Alps. It is a mild, semi-firm cow's milk ch ...

– 5,500 tons * Emmental – 3,000 tons (2006); 4,050 tons in 1999 * Raclette raw milk – 2,000 tons * Abondance – 700 tons *

Tome des Bauges A tome or codex is a large book, especially one volume of a multi-volume scholarly work. Tome may also refer to: Places * Tome, Miyagi, city in Japan (formerly Tome District) * Tome, New Mexico, an unincorporated community and census-designated ...

– 650 tons

Crafts

In late 2000 crafts occupied 15 percent of the workforce, or 28,443 employees and 1,922 apprentices. The 11,951 companies represented on the ''Répertoire des Métiers'' (Trade Index) were divided into: * Food: 955 companies * Construction: 4,924 * Production: 2,834 * Services: 3,238

Construction and public works

In late December 2000, building construction and public works included 13,867 employees in 4,838 companies as follows: * Construction: 20 percent * Decoration, electricity, plastering, painting: 70 percent * Public works: 10 percent

Trade

In late December 2000, the trade sector accounted for 33,994 employees in 9,351 companies as follows: * Tourism, culture and recreation: 23.7 percent * Food and restaurants: 22.5 percent * Hygiene and health: 15.2 percent * Service: 14.3 percent * Cars, motorcycles, bicycles: 13.1 percent * Household equipment, home appliances: 11.2 percent

Retail

In late 2006, the département had 600 commercial establishments in over (for a total area of ), including: * 13 hypermarkets () * 92 supermarkets () * 24 maxidiscounts () * 6 department and variety stores () * 465 other stores () From 1998 to 2005, 65 new supermarkets were built for an area totaling . The average expenditure per capita in 2006 was €21,706. With the 2004–2007 rise of the euro, Swiss customer traffic decreased five or six percent (Swiss shoppers make up half the shoppers in the Genève–Savoyard district). At the end of 2006, traditional small businesses (less than ) represented 84 percent of businesses and 40 percent of retail space.

Companies

4,301 companies were established in 2004 in Haute-Savoie: nearly 80 percent in the service sector, with a high percentage offering service to individuals (hotels, restaurants, recreational, cultural, sports, personal and household services). This accounted for 21.6 percent of new businesses. The most active sectors were real estate (up 24 percent), construction (up 15.4 percent), business services (up 12.4 percent) and the food industry (up 10 percent). In 1999, Haute-Savoie had 2,779 industrial companies producing 13.60 percent of all business income.

Companies in Haute-Savoie

* '' Food'': Entremont, Evian (mineral water), Cereal Partners France, La Gerbe Savoyarde, France, Decoration, Besnier, Fruity * '' Chemistry-Pharmacy-Medical'': Labcatal, Nicholas Roche, Pierre Fabre Galderma, Ivoclar-Vivadent, Corneal, SNCI, Anthogyr * '' Commerce'': Provencia, Botanic * '' Electrical and electronic'': Chauvin-Arnoux, DAV, Label, Amphenol Socapex, Cartier, Varilac CEB * '' Mechanical equipment'': Dassault,

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 ...

, Bosch Rexroth,

Union Pump-Guinard Pumps Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

(Group Textron) * '' Home, household equipment'': Tefal, Scaime Bourgeois, Mobalpa, Somfy * '' Personal items'': S.T. Dupont, Rexam Reboul, Gay, Maped, Pilot * '' Data'': Sopra, Cross Systems * '' Machine tools and special machines'': Stäubli, Prosys, Mach 1, Techmeta (Bodycote), Wirth and Gruffat, Mecasonic, Almo * '' Mechanics'': SNR Bearings, Parker Hannifin, Glacier Vandervell, Invensys, Eurodec, Frank and Pignard, Bouverat, Nicomatic, ZF, Sandvik, Rossignol Technology * '' Metals and materials'': PSB Industries, Pechiney Rhenalu, Fonlem Lachenal * '' Plastics'': Veka, SMPI, Decoplast * '' Sport and leisure goods'': Salomon (skiing), Mavic, Dynastar, Millet, Fusalp, Eider * '' Other'': Velsol France, Mecalac, ABMT (Bodycote) Screw-cutting is a precision parts-machining industry, and Haute-Savoie generates the bulk of French screws. Firms engaged in screw-cutting are major employers in the department. While the automotive industry is the principal client, firms also service the electronics, household-appliance and medical sectors. Arve Industries is part of 67 "competitiveness clusters" created in 2005. The cluster is dedicated to mechatronics and includes 60,000 industrial jobs in over 280 companies (primarily small), 1,200 researchers and 250 patents in 2002. Among the projects supported by the cluster is inertial tolerancing, a new approach in evaluating the quality of machined parts. Based on the Taguchi loss function, inertia is defined by its deviation from its target. Inertial tolerancing is a research-and-development program supported by the cluster for its member companies. It is led by a research team from the Symme Laboratory of the University of Savoie and the CTDEC (''Centre Technique du Decolletage''). The publication of the French standard NFX 04-008 demonstrates the relevance of topics covered by the cluster. Other programs involve the production of clean parts (4P project), developing new models of customer-supplier relationships to improve the effectiveness of simultaneous engineering tasks, and development of the international visibility of the cluster and its members. The companies concerned are involved with industrial mechanics, precision engineering, precision turning and sub-assemblies and mechanical assemblies, often associated with integrating technologies such as plastics, electronics and hydraulics. Markets served by member companies of the cluster include transport (cars, trucks, rail and air), production and distribution of electricity, hydraulics (gas or liquid, high-pressure vacuum), medical and health-related.

Services

In late December 2000, the service sector employed 75,768 people in 11,129 companies in: * Hotels and restaurants – 26.5 percent * Real estate activities – 24.6 percent * Consulting and assistance – 14.0 percent * Transportation – 6.1 percent * Financial activities – 6.2 percent

Tourism

As of late December 2000, the tourism sector had a total of 635,000 beds divided as follows: * 1,250 – Rural lodgings * 803 – Hotels * 453 – Guest rooms * 191 – Campsites * 70 – Bed-and-breakfasts * 40 – Mountain huts In 1999 there were 37.9 million overnight stays: 56 percent in winter and 44 percent during the rest of the year. File:YvoireWiki 09.jpg,

Yvoire Yvoire () is a small medieval town in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Savoie, in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located 24 kilometers (14.9 miles) northeast of Geneva. Geography Lo ...

and the Lake Léman File:Cluses.JPG, Arve Valley and the town of Cluses File:Fr-duingt-chateau-Ruphy-2-ulrichprinz.jpg, Chateau de Ruphy in Duingt File:Seyssel rive Haute-Savoie.JPG, Seyssel File:200505-Lac de Montriond 03.JPG, Montriond Lake File:Aiguille-du-Midi-summer.jpg, Aiguille du Midi

Cross-border workers

Many people who live in Haute-Savoie (more than 52,200 in November 2006) work in

(in the cantons of Geneva, Vaud and Valais). The phenomenon has accelerated since bilateral agreements concluded between Switzerland and the European Union, of which a significant part concerned free movement of people. In 2007, commuting increased over 12%. Effective June 1, 2007, residents of Haute-Savoie may freely work in Switzerland. The department and municipalities receive compensation ("frontier funds") allocated to municipalities in proportion to the number of border residents there. Following an agreement signed in Geneva in 1973, the Canton of Geneva transferred to Haute-Savoie 3.5 percent of total worker compensation, equivalent in December 2006 to €77.687 million.

Export

Exports are an important part of the economy; forty percent of Haute-Savoie employees work for exporting firms. Exports are primarily to Germany, the United States, Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom. Imports come mainly from Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United States.

Taxation

Haute-Savoie has property and income taxes. In 2006, 312,823 households were subject to property taxes and 27,747 were exempt. The average income tax per household was €25,621 in 2007 (compared with the national average of €21,930).

Transport

Haute Savoie is served by the A41 and A43 highways. Annecy is accessible from Lyon, with an estimated travel time between two and three hours in normal traffic. Since it is closer to Geneva, the new highway connects the two cities in about an hour. Meythet Airport in Annecy has Air France Regional round-trip service to Paris Orly. Saint-Gervais is the only railroad station directly serving a ski resort. The main rail line serves Annecy-Annemasse-Geneva. The Annecy railway station has TGV (high speed trains) departures and arrivals to and from Paris via the high-speed line from Lyon Part-Dieu.

Sources

* Assedic (January 2000) * Construction 74 (January 2000) * ERC / DDAF 1999 * Chamber of Agriculture * Chamber of Trade (December 2000) * Customs * SIRENE of INSEE (July 2003) * CTDEC * Chamber of Commerce * Thésame

Notes

References

External links

* *
Departmental Council website
*
Prefecture website
*
Haute-Savoie Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Employment statistics
access to regional statistics (Department of Labor Region Rhone-Alpes) * {{Authority control 1860 establishments in France Departments of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes States and territories established in 1860