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 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 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 an ...

in southeastern

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 ...

. The town is also situated in the

Vercors Massif The Vercors Massif is a range in France consisting of rugged plateaus and mountains straddling the ''départements'' of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, from which it is separated by the rivers D ...

. 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 canton of Fontaine-Vercors is an administrative division of the Isère department, eastern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Fontaine. It consists of the following ...

. The town remains the seat of the Community of Communes in the Vercors Massif (CCMV). The town is a centre for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

in winter, as well as

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...

ing during the other seasons. It is also the town with the largest amount of available lodging in the entire

Vercors Regional Natural Park The Vercors Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional du Vercors'') is a protected area of forested mountains in the Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. Geography Set upon a limestone plateau south of Grenoble, the park ...

Population

History

Starting in 1906, the town of Villard-de-Lans was recognized as a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

. 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 ...

competition in 1931. For over a decade, the town was connected to the prefecture centre of

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

by a tram called the

Tramway Grenoble - Villard-de-Lans Tramway may refer to: * Tramway (industrial), a lightly laid railway for uses such as logging or mining * A tram transport system (public transport vehicles running on rails) ** The tracks which trams run on (also a section of reserved track for ...

. The tram, which also serviced the towns of Lans-en-Vercors and

Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte is a commune in the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,083. Demographics 1968 Winter Olympics The commune hosted the ski jumping indivi ...

, 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 German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

. 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 The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. 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 German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 ...

and led to the formation of the Maquis du Vercors, a group of fighters that were part of the

French Forces of the Interior The French Forces of the Interior (french: Forces françaises de l'Intérieur) were French resistance fighters in the later stages of World War II. Charles de Gaulle used it as a formal name for the resistance fighters. The change in designation ...

. 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

, 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 ultimate tensile strength, tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion ...

. The facility had three start houses, 132 lighting posts,

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

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 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 and Po ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

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