Mouxy (; frp, Meûssi) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in 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 of ...

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 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 south-eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Geography

Dominated by Mount Revard, the Town of Mouxy is located on the heights above

Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie.

, to which it is adjacent. It is part of the

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, t ...

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chambér ...

. It is also part of the agglomeration community of

Grand Lac Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

. The important nearby towns of

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, and

to the south, are located at distances as the crow flies of and 12.5 km ¾ miles respectively.

Neighboring towns

Mouxy is bordered by four municipalities:

Pugny-Chatenod Pugny-Chatenod (; frp, Pounyi) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is part of the urban area of Chambéry.Drumettaz-Clarafond on the south, Aix-les-Bains on the east, and

Les Déserts Les Déserts () is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Geography Climate Les Déserts has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification ''Dfb'') closely bordering on a sub ...

on the west. Many localities make up the collective community such as Chenoz, Montecovie, La Croix Balmont, Le Crêt, Le Faubourg, Le Biollay, and Le Mentens. The town is 628

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s .28 km², 2.425 sq. mi.in area; the elevations range over almost 1200

meters The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

940 feet from . The lowest point lies at the edge of Aix-les-Bains to the south of the town, the high point is the top of Mount Revard. Downtown is located at an elevation of about . the municipality overlooks Lake Bourget, the largest natural lake in France, and offers a view of the surrounding peaks including the croix du

Nivolet The Nivolet (1,547 m) is a mountain of the Bauges Massif in the French Prealps near Chambéry in Savoie, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Ove ...

, the

Chartreuse Massif The Chartreuse Mountains (french: massif de la Chartreuse ) are a mountain range in southeastern France, stretching from the city of Grenoble in the south to the Lac du Bourget in the north. They are part of the French Prealps, which continue a ...

, Mount Granier and the Cat's Tooth. It extends from the Aix-les-Bains plain to the

Massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

Bauges The Bauges Mountains ( French: ''Massif des Bauges'') is a mountain range in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Eastern France, stretching from the city of Annecy, Haute-Savoie to the city of Chambéry, Savoie, which is part of the French Prealps. Major p ...

. The population density decreases as you approach Mount Revard. Indeed, some places are absolutely vertical, without access, and unbuildable.

Geology

The particular geology of the area surrounding Aix-Les-Bains, including Mouxy, was the subject of a study published in December 2009. This study focuses on the geological evolution of the scene surrounding Aix-Les-BainsGoogle maps to explain the peculiarity of the local thermal system and is entitled: the Influence of paleoclimatic events on the functioning of an alpine thermal system (France): contribution of modeling thermal-hydrodynamique. Terrain of the municipality consists of glacial

alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

with the Urgonian Limestone Formation in the locality. Climbing up the slopes of the Bauges Massif, there are several types of rocks and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...

but above all, the Urgonian Limestone Formation is largely found near the Revard and in almost all of the massif.

History

The evolution of the commune is marked by the history of

Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie.

, and in particular the importance of

Lake Bourget Lac du Bourget (; English Lake Bourget), also locally known as Lac Gris (; en, Grey Lake) or Lac d'Aix (), is a lake at the southernmost end of the Jura Mountains in the department of Savoie, France. It is the deepest lake located entirely wit ...

and the hot springs of the city of

Aix Aix or AIX may refer to: Computing * AIX, a line of IBM computer operating systems *An Alternate Index, for a Virtual Storage Access Method Key Sequenced Data Set * Athens Internet Exchange, a European Internet exchange point Places Belgi ...

that always made Aix-les-Bains a showplace of therapeutic mineral bathing. One can also say, more generally, that the history of Mouxy is closely linked to that of the

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, ...

Neolithic and antiquity

The site was inhabited since the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

Era An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

. Indeed, some sedentary farming communities settled in the Plains and the great valleys of average altitude. The first real phase of occupation by people was observed from deposits at organic

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...

levels preserved at

Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is situated near the northwestern shore of Lac du Bourget. Heritage sites It is home to a prehistoric pile-dwelling (o ...

(Lake Bourget). The area was then occupied by the people of the

Allobroges The Allobroges (Gaulish: *''Allobrogis'', 'foreigner, exiled'; grc, Ἀλλοβρίγων, Ἀλλόβριγες) were a Gallic people dwelling in a large territory between the Rhône river and the Alps during the Iron Age and the Roman period. ...

. The

Roman_ 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_ancient_Rome *''Epistle_to_the_Romans'',_shortened_to_''Romans'',_a_letter_...

_legions_following_their_victory_in_121_Common_Era.html" ;"title="Roman_Republic.html" "title="rea of the Allobroges was occupied by the Roman Republic">Roman 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 ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

legions following their victory in 121 Common Era">B.C.E. By 443, the Roman General Aëtius had ceded Sapaudia the Latin name of present-day Savoy to a Germanic people, the Burgundians.

Middle Ages

Mouxy was a parish - Mauseu ecclesia - which depended on the Priory of Clarafont according to an act of 1344. During this period, a new church dedicated to Saint-John-the-Greater was built. Previously, the Mouxy area depended on either the Priory of Saint-Pol or Hippolytus of Rome, Saint-Hippolyte in Aix. The parish was subsequently attached to the Priory of Aix in the 16th century. We learn that the priest of the Church, in 1340, offered to the Bishop during his pastoral visit a

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

of 9

florin The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...

s. In 1494, the income of the parish priest was estimated to be 50

guilder Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' "gold penny". This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Roman Empir ...

s. The Church did not originally have an image of its patron saint, or other object of worship. By 1678 it had relics of Saint James,

Saint Alexis Saint Alexius of Rome or Alexius of Edessa ( el, Ἀλέξιος, ''Alexios''), also Alexis, was a fourth-century Greek monk who lived in anonymity and is known for his dedication to Christ. There are two versions of his life that are known, a Sy ...

and the true cross.''Mémoires,'' vol. 3, t. VI, Chambéry, Académie de Savoie - Imprimerie Chatelain, 1878, 798 p., p. 96, 387, 468–469, 712 The village of Mouxy had about 30 households in 1494 and 1497. In the following century, proceeds to 42 households and 440 communicants. They were 420 communicants in 1667. The number subsequently continued to reach approximately 300 inhabitants of whom there were 220 communicants in 1729.

Contemporary

In 1860, the period of the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century Political movement, political and social movement that resulted in the Merger (politics), consolidation of List of historic stat ...

led to the question of the future of the Duchy of Savoy. The latter was part of a transaction between the King of

Piedmont-Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...

Victor Emmanuel I Victor Emmanuel I (Vittorio Emanuele; 24 July 1759 – 10 January 1824) was the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia (1802–1821). Biography Victor Emmanuel was the second son of King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia and Maria Antonia Ferdinanda ...

of Sardinia, and the Emperor of the French,

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

. Following the Treaty of Turin which saw the annexation of Savoy by France, Mouxy became as throughout the territory of the Duchy henceforth now French.

World War II

On June 10, 1940,

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

declared war on France; Savoie was caught in a vise. The fighting with Italy began in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. The Italian army of 22 divisions and 321,000 men commanded by Crown

Prince Umberto of Savoy A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

and General Alfredo Guzzoni occupied the

Petit-Saint-Bernard The Little St Bernard Pass (French: ''Col du Petit Saint-Bernard'', Italian: ''Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo'') is a mountain pass in the Alps on the France–Italy border. Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level. It is located between S ...

and the Mont-Cenis sectors. Against this force, 185,000 men of French General

René Olry René-Henri Olry CLH (28 June 1880 – 3 January 1944) was a French general and commander of the Army of the Alps (french: l'Armée des Alpes) during the Battle of France of World War II. Biography Early life Olry was born on 28 June 1880 i ...

managed to resist. In the Valley, the Germans crossed the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

Culoz Culoz ( or ) is a former Communes of France, commune in the Ain Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. On 1 January 2023, it was merged into the new commune of Culoz-Béon. Geography The town, which is ...

and entered Aix and its surrounding towns and villages,

had not yet fallen. The signing of the 22 June 1940 armistice ended fighting. A second armistice, with Italy, was signed June 24 which provided for Italy's occupation of Haute- Tarentaise and the demilitarization of the border. This situation was to become explosive for the entire department.

Important dates

January 1, 1943: the Italians occupied all of Savoy. They controlled the Franco-Swiss border. April 16, 1943: complete closure of the Franco-Swiss border from April 16 to May 3, 1943; September 1943: a roundup of Jews by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

occurred in Chambéry; German troops invaded Savoy.

The end of the war

August 21, 1944, Aix and its surroundings were liberated. The occupiers surrendered to the encircling forces beginning at 23:30. A departmental Committee of Liberation and Resistance movements, was established, and Lucien Rose became prefect. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the territory was disrupted. Many territorial changes occurred in the 1950s and mainly during the 0 years of postwar prosperity known in France as the

Trente Glorieuses ''Les Trente Glorieuses'' (; 'The Glorious Thirty') was a thirty-year period of economic growth in France between 1945 and 1975, following the end of the Second World War. The name was first used by the French demographer Jean Fourastié, who ...

Glorious Thirty, the 30-years immediately following World War II) These changes resulted in the construction of new housing, and as a result, development of urban life in still-rural areas. Later, in the context of sustainable development, in 1995 the

Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes () was an administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the river Rhône an ...

region developed regional natural parks enhanced by the Massif des Bauges (regional natural park of the Bauges).

Mont Revard Mont Revard (, ) is a mountain in the Bauges Massif near Aix-les-Bains in Savoie, France. The mountain is crossed by the D913 road between the villages of Saint-Jean-d'Arvey and Pugny-Chatenod near Aix-les-Bains. The ski resort of Le Revard i ...
and its influence in the 20th century

Mouxy connects the Valley of Aix-les-Bains to the mountain. The Revard ski station in 1908, was the first ski resort in France, which participated actively in the construction of infrastructure of transport through Mouxy (rack and cable car) to carry skiers to the Summit, and this until he system was improvedin 1969. Mouxy thus had two stations.

Demographic growth

Like its peripheral communes, Mouxy has had (and is still having) a strong increase in population since the 1930s, particularly in the 1980s. At the departmental level, the rural exodus has been pronounced. The main points at the departmental level are the increase in the size of the cities, a location in the heart of important communication routes and the creations of universities such as Technolac (important high-tech research and development facility about ten kilometers from Mouxy).« home page », on the web site of Savoie Technolac (accessed 18 juillet 2014)