Villard-de-Lans (; oc, Lo Vilar de Lanç) is a commune in the

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.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, ...

of 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 southeastern France. The town is also situated in the Vercors Massif. It was the

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the eponymous canton until the departmental elections of 2015. After the elections, Villard-de-Lans and the communes of its former canton were all incorporated into the new canton of Fontaine-Vercors. The town remains the seat of the Community of Communes in the Vercors Massif (CCMV). The town is a centre for skiing in winter, as well as hiking and hot air ballooning during the other seasons. It is also the town with the largest amount of available lodging in the entire Vercors Regional Natural Park.

Population

History

Starting in 1906, the town of Villard-de-Lans was recognized as a ski resort. More facilities were built during the 1920s that allowed the town to host its first bobsled and

luge A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh for s ...

competition in 1931. For over a decade, the town was connected to the prefecture centre of Grenoble by a tram called the Tramway Grenoble - Villard-de-Lans. The tram, which also serviced the towns of Lans-en-Vercors and Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte, had completely seized operations by 1949.

World War II

During World War II, Villard-de-Lans was host to the only Polish high school in Occupied Europe. There is a plaque on the old building memorializing the names of the numerous students and teachers were deported to camps by the occupying force during the war. The region was home to several thousand Poles, people in hiding, military defectors and evaders, as well as members of the French Resistance. Due to these circumstances, and its proximity to Grenoble, the historically rural and mountainous commune of Villar-de-Lans became a refuge for the resistance against the German occupation and led to the formation of the Maquis du Vercors, a group of fighters that were part of the French Forces of the Interior. After the war, Charles de Gaulle paid homage to the fighters of the Vercors by visiting Villard-de-Lans in 1948. During his visit, de Gaulle gave a speech in which he tried to discuss the controversy, which was still very strong at the time, vis-à-vis the attitude of Free France's leader and allies regarding the Maquis du Vercors.Gilles Vergon, ''Le Vercors: histoire et mémoire d'un maquis'', éditions du Patrimoine, p. 169-170

1968 Winter Olympics

During the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

held in neighbouring Grenoble, Villard-de-Lans played host to the luge events.1968 Winter Olympics official report.
pp. 102-104. - accessed February 27, 2008. Costing FRF 3,190,000 to complete, the Olympic luge track was completed using of earthwork and of

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

. The facility had three start houses, 132 lighting posts, telephone circuitry, 40 loudspeakers, and a signalling system for the competitors. No turn names are given for the track. Data from the women's singles or men's doubles also not given.

Tourism

Winter Sports

Villard-de-Lans has many options to participate in Winter Sports including: * "Côte 2000" - ski resort with 50 runs and 18 lifts. * "Site nordique du Haut Vercors" - Nordic skiing area * "Luge and Ski-Parc de la Colline des Bains" - small hill which is used for young skiers just starting out, as well as for sledding.

International relations

Villard-de-Lans 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

Mikołajki Mikołajki () is a resort town in Mrągowo County in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in north-eastern Poland, with 3,852 inhabitants as of 2017. The town is located near the Śniardwy, the largest lake of both the Masurian Lake District an ...

, Poland.

References

External links

Official site
(Citizens' Portal)
Town tourism site

Photographs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villarddelans Venues of the 1968 Winter Olympics Olympic luge venues Bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks Communes of Isère Defunct sports venues in France Isère communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia