Chambery
Chambery France tourist information
The city of Chambery is located in the centre-east of France 537 km
from Paris, 661 km from Bordeaux, 345 km from Marseille, 217 miles from
Turin, 114 km from Lyon and 92 km from Geneva .Its location in the
natural crossroads of Europe explains its historical growth. It lies in
a broad valley bounded on the east by the massive Bauges , on the south
by Mount Granier and the Channel Belledonne, to the west by the chain of
the southernmost mountains of the Jura and to the north by the Lake
Bourget. Before the founding of the city in Roman times, vast marshes
stretched at this location. Most of the city is situated on flat terrain
marked by a few hills: Chambery-le-Haut, Chantemerle and
Chambéry-le-Vieux, Bellevue or The Mountains. The rest of the landscape
is composed of medium-sized mountains.
History:The city was already well-known in Roman times. Between
1232 and 1562 Chambery was the capital of the country Savoy. Between
1792 and 1815, Chambery was the capital of the department of Mont Blanc.
In 1860 came Savoy permanently to France. During the Second World War
the city was partially destroyed. The castle of the dukes of Savoy dates
from the 14th and 15th century and the 18th century was restored and
rebuilt. Near to the castle there is a chapel in Gothic style with a
Baroque façade. The chapel was built between 1453 and 1578 . The
cathedral of Chambery was built between the 15th and 16th centuries.
Travel:The common boundarys are Barberaz Chambéry, Bassens, La
Motte-Servolex, Ravoire, Saint-Alban-Leysse, Cognin, Jacob-Bellecombette
and Sonnaz. The city is bathed by the Leysse river which is feeding the
Lake Bourget.Chambery is bisected from north to the south by a fast
track urban highway the N201 or E70. It begins at the exit of the A41
from Lyon in the area and the Landiers Érier. It extends over twelve
kilometers, before joining the A43 near St. Baldoph direction
Albertville, Grenoble, Turin and Bourg-Saint-Maurice. While traffic on
the VRU increased steadily, it has decreased in recent years with the
reopening of the Mont Blanc Tunnel and has diverted some of the traffic
of the tunnel of Frejus.
The Old Town: It is composed of a large number of old hotels of
the nobility Savoyard. At the end of the fifteenth century, the noble
families have begun the demolition of old bicoques wood and mud and have
built houses with stones which later took the name "hotel" where the
householder receives his guests. The homes of the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries are many, though their facades have mostly been
redrawn since the eighteenth century (Lower Street, Castle Street
Juiverie, St. Croix-d'Or). Very influenced by the medieval heritage, the
first hotels where organized around a courtyard. The Italian Renaissance
left its mark here with loggias or galleries linking the various
buildings
Elephant fountain: The famous fountain of the Elephants was built
in 1838 in memory of General Benoît de Boigne. This fountain is the best
known monument and landmark of Chambéry . The monument was inaugurated
on December 10, 1838. The hight of the monument is 17.65 metres,it is a
clever combination of three monuments: a fountain, a column and a
statue. Four elephants made from iron, the water flows by the elephant's
trunk in a pool of octagonal shape. Above are a wide variety of
trophies. The vast column is symbolized by a palm treet and on its top
is the statue of the General Benoît de Boigne.
Chambéry has a lot of statues, most settled in the late nineteenth
century .
Lake Burget
