The Salève (), or Mont Salève, is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

of the French Prealps located in the department of

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 ...

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 ...

. It is also called the "Balcony of Geneva" (French: ''Balcon de Genève'').

Geography

Geographically, the Salève is a mountain of the French Prealps located in the

department, but geologically a part of the Jura chain, as the Vuache is. Below the Salève is the

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 ...

urban area where more than 700,000 people live. The Salève consists of the Pitons, Grand Salève and Petit Salève; it culminates at 1,379 metres at the Grand Piton. It is accessible via the Téléphérique du Salève, a cable car, since 1932 (rebuilt in 1983). The Salève stretches between Étrembières in the north and the suspension bridge of La Caille in the south. Between 1892 and 1935, the Salève was served by the first electric rack railway in the world ( Chemin de fer du Salève). The eastern side of the Salève dives under the molasse of the Bornes Massif while the abrupt mountain slope facing Geneva is subject to

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

. The vegetation – or the absence thereof – enhances the

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

's layers. This side of the mountain is slit by several narrow and deep

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

s, among which the Grande Varappe, which at the end of the 19th century gave its name to the activity of

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

in French. This discipline developed intensely there, at a time when it was only beginning. The Monnetier Valley, separating the Petit and Grand Salève, is due to glaciary erosion. Modern geologists now think that this valley was dug by the subglaciary currents in a fissured region between the Petit and Grand Salève and not by the Arve as was assumed earlier.

From prehistory to green tourism

Between 12,000 and 10,000 BC, the Salève hosted a magdalenian site. From 1833, Genevan physician François Isaac Mayor, then Minister Taillefer, as well as dentist Thoily explored the mountain's past. The cliff near Veyrier turned out to be a prehistoric shelter. Bones (

partridge A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They ar ...

, reindeer,

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

, marmot amongst others),

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

and engraved wood were found in dozens of places including caves, shelters and settlements. There was a

dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

at Aiguebelle. Between the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

and the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

, the settlements became more sedentary (Bossey, Chaffardon). An oppidum was erected on the Petit Salève around 1000 BC. The Salève offers a magnificent panorama over the Geneva agglomeration, Lake Geneva, the south of the

Jura mountains The Jura Mountains ( ) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the French–Swiss border. While the Jura range proper (" folded Jura", ) is located in France and Switzerla ...

, the Prealps,

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 ...

and Mont Blanc. It is used for leisure time activities by the inhabitants of Geneva due to its proximity to the city (for this reason it is often called the "mountain of the Genevans"). One can practice

, hiking, mountain biking, paragliding,

hang gliding Hang gliding is an air sports, air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium al ...

, model aircraft, speleology as well as skiing at the Col de la Croisette. It can be accessed from the centre of Geneva by public bus (No. 8, 34, 41) to Veyrier-Ecole or Veyrier-Douane. Whilst the Salève is open free of charge, it also hosts agriculture – the cows of the Salève supply Geneva with milk – and forestry.

"Syndicat mixte du Salève" and "Maison du Salève"

The "Syndicat mixte du Salève" was created in 1994 and regroups the twenty communes on whose ground the Salève is located. Its objective is to appreciate and protect the mountain which is a "preserved island" in the middle of a French-Suisse territory that is highly urbanized with more than 700.000 inhabitants. The syndicat opened the "Maison du Salève" in September 2007 in an ancient Mikerne farm house dating from 1733. This documentation center presents all aspects of the mountain: its history, patrimony, nature, sports and leisure. In the same year, it developed a charter for sustainable development of the Salève trying to reconcile the conservation of the massif with its increasing frequentation with a vision on 30 years. The "Maison du Salève" hosts a permanent exposition, temporary exhibitions as well as guided tours, excursions and conferences about the local patrimony and the environment. The syndicat involves in its three work groups - agriculture, tourism and leisure, access and transportation - all users of the Salève, meaning communes, sport clubs, environment protection associations, restorations, farmers, hunters, as well as tourism offices amongst others.

Tibetan temple

Shedrub Choekhor Ling is a centre of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

on the Salève. It is under the direction of the Sangha sur Salève association. The monastery opened its doors to public in September 2010. It has deck open for public from where the Jura mountains can be seen as the backdrop of Geneva. Visitors can watch the monks performing daily rituals and prayers inside the monastery and can buy Buddhist and Tibetan handicrafts, decorative items, books and jewellery from the store in the monastery.

The Salève in literature

* In

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

, the creature after having fled climbs up the Salève (Chapter 7). * The Dedicace to the Last song of Harold's Pilgrimage, proposed by Lamartine in 1825 as the conclusion of his friend

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

's uncompleted poem, is located on the Salève. Byron died in 1824. (See the French page for the complete "Dedicace"). * "Le Ruisseau" is a poem by

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...

located on the foot of the Salève (1869). (See the French page for the complete poem).

The Salève in paintings

The Salève occurs on one of the first European paintings depicting a realistic landscape, ''La Pêche Miraculeuse'' by Konrad Witz created in 1444.

Gallery

Image:Cranves-sales.JPG, The Salève (left) and the agglomeration of Annemasse Image:Saleve-Geneve.jpg, The Salève seen from Geneva Image:Saleve Plainpalais Geneve 4198.JPG, The Salève seen from the Plaine de Plainpalais in Geneva Image:Saleve-Annecy.jpg, The Salève seen from

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 ...

Image:Saleve_vu_du_ciel.jpg, Aerial view on the Salève and Geneva, its Jet d'Eau, Lake Geneva and the

in the background Image:Mont-blanc-depuis-le-saleve.jpg, Mont Blanc from the summit of the Salève Image:Saleve_nuit.jpg, Night view on Saint-Julien-en-Genevois from the Salève File:Salève-téléphérique1.jpg, The Téléphérique du Salève (cable car of the Salève) File:Trou de la Tine.jpg, Corraterie and Trou de la Tine at the Salève File:Oratoire_de_Notre-Dame_du_Salève.jpg, Oratory of Notre-Dame of the Salève File:Croix_de_Savoie.jpg, Cross of Savoy at the Salève

References

External links

Cable carHike club starting 10am on Sundays mornings from Veyrier-DouaneSaleve Airlines, school of paraglidingShedrub Choekhor Ling siteSalève
in the

Historical Dictionary of Switzerland The ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'' (Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse; DHS) is an encyclopedia on the history of Switzerland. It aims to present the history of Switzerland in the form of an encyclopaedia, published both on paper a ...

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