Annemasse (; Arpitan: ''Anemâsse'') is a commune in the

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is Ann ...

department 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 an ...

in 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 ...

. Even though it covers a relatively small territory (4.98 km² or 1.92 sq mi), it is Haute-Savoie's second most populous commune after the

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

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. Nickname ...

, with 36,250 residents as of 2018.Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017
INSEE Annemasse is part of the Grand Genève (Greater Geneva), a transborder agglomeration between France and Switzerland, which encompasses the developed areas on the southwestern shore of

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

. It lies near the Swiss border, approximately 8 km (5 mi) east of

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

. Its

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

is served by

TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...

RegioExpress RegioExpress (RE) is a fast regional train service in Switzerland, run by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) or other railway companies (such as TILO, BLS, tpf, transN, THURBO or RhB). It is comparable to the Regional-Express in Germany, ...

, Léman Express and TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes trains.

Etymology

The origin of the name Annemasse is uncertain. It could come from an

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. ...

tribe;Gilbert Künzi, ''Lieux-dits entre Dranse et Arve : Chablais savoyard et Faucigny'', Éditions Cabédita, 1997, 201 p. it could be derived from the Gallic name Adnamatius;Henry Suter
« Annemasse »
rchive « Noms de lieux de Suisse romande, Savoie et environs » - henrysuter.ch, 2000-2009 (updated 18 décembre 2009) it could be a reference to the Roman city of Annamatia in

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia. Pannonia was located in the territory that is now west ...

(current-day

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

). In ancient Roman times, Annemasse, a ''

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

'', was known as Namascae.

Geography

Annemasse is part of the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...

of Geneva. It is located 2 km (1.2 mi) southeast of the Swiss border and 45 km (27.9 mi) north of

, the

. The city is surrounded by the Voirons (alt. 1,450 m) to the east and the Salève (alt. 1,300 m) and the Arve River to the west.

Climate

The climate is

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

with influences from the

Bornes Massif The Bornes Massif (French: ''Massif des Bornes'') is a mountainous massif in the north French Prealps in the ''département'' of Haute-Savoie. It has 20 peaks higher than 2000 m and is a popular destination for winter sports. The Massif is th ...

and

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

. The coldest months are January and February; the hottest are July and August.''Étude d'impact — État initial de l'environnement'', dossier de réalisation, « Climatologie d'Annemasse », February 2008. There is an annual average of 80 days with below zero temperatures. The minimum average is -1 °C and the maximum average is 26 °C. The annual rainfall is 975.7 mm with 118 rainy days a year.

Demographics

Politics

The urban area of Annemasse, the

agglomeration community of Annemasse – Les Voirons The agglomeration community Annemasse – Les Voirons is an intercommunal structure located in Haute-Savoie, France. It consists of the town Annemasse and 11 neighbouring communes. It is located at the Swiss border, east of Geneva, between the moun ...

, which consists of twelve communes, is the second largest agglomeration in the Haute-Savoie department in terms of population, after the Grand Annecy (Greater Annecy). Robert Borrel of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...

(PS) held the mayorship in Annemasse from 1977 to 2008. Fellow party member Christian Dupessay was elected to succeed him following his retirement in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. Dupessay was reelected in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

Economy

The main activity is commerce: due to the current foreign exchange situation, many Swiss residents come to Annemasse to purchase food and other commodities. A large proportion of the population work in

, where the salaries are higher than in France. Annemasse has 1,898 company locations on its territory, a large share of it being shops and services. The three main companies operating in Annemasse are

Parker Hannifin Parker Hannifin Corporation, originally Parker Appliance Company, usually referred to as just Parker, is an American corporation specializing in motion and control technologies. Its corporate headquarters are in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, in Greate ...

(turnover: €134 million), Siegwerk (€107 million) and

Géant Casino Géant Casino () is a hypermarket chain based in Saint-Étienne, France, part of the French retailing giant Groupe Casino. As of February 2016, it had 120 stores in France. History Géant opened its first hypermarket in 1970. In Dec 2015, G ...

Annemasse (€17 million, enlarged in 2003).

Transport

Annemasse is an important crossroad. It is the last exit of the French

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

A40 before the border and is thus well connected with the other cities of the region. It is also connected to Annecy via motorway A41. Local transport is done with 6 bus lines by the TP2A company (''Transports publics de l'Agglomération d'Annemasse''). A

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

is connected to the Swiss border. Annemasse has had a

since 1880. It is the second most important station of the department with 2,000 passengers a day. To encourage mobility, the

CEVA Ceva, the ancient Ceba, is a small Italian town in the province of Cuneo, region of Piedmont, east of Cuneo. It lies on the right bank of the Tanaro on a wedge of land between that river and the Cevetta stream. History In the pre-Roman period t ...

project has extended the existing rail connection between Annemasse and Gare de Cornavin through Genève Eaux-Vives. Annemasse also has a small airport for small tourist and business planes.

Education

;Kindergartens * Bois-Livron, Marianne-Cohn, Jean-Mermoz, La Fontaine, Les Hutins, Saint-Exupéry, Académie Montessuit ;Primary schools * Public schools: Bois-Livron, Marianne-Cohn, Jean-Mermoz, La Fontaine, Les Hutins, Saint-Exupéry, Académie Montessuit * Privates schools: Chamarette, Saint-François ;Secondary schools * Michel-Servet, Académie Montessuit, Jacques-Prévert ;High secondary schools * General education: Les Glières (Formation tertiaire BTS intégré) * General and technical education: Jean-Monnet * Professional education: Le Salève ;Other school * The Beaux Arts School

Religion

Annemasse has several religious places. There are two

Roman Catholic 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 let ...

churches (Saint-André and Saint-Joseph), one synagogue, two Muslim religious organisations, as well as several

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

churches.

Servetus Monument

In 1903, 350 years after the dissident

Michael Servetus Michael Servetus (; es, Miguel Serveto as real name; french: Michel Servet; also known as ''Miguel Servet'', ''Miguel de Villanueva'', ''Revés'', or ''Michel de Villeneuve''; 29 September 1509 or 1511 – 27 October 1553) was a Spanish th ...

was executed in

at the instigation of John Calvin, a committee was formed to erect a monument in Servetus' honour - led by a French Senator, Auguste Dide, an author of a book on heretics and revolutionaries. The committee commissioned a local Geneva sculptor, Clothilde Roch, to do a statue showing a suffering Servetus. The work was three years in the making and was finished in 1907. However, supporters of Calvin were still strong in Geneva, and the statue was rejected. The committee then offered the statue to the neighboring Annemasse, which in 1908 placed it in front of the city hall, with the following inscriptions:

“The arrest of Servetus in Geneva, where he did neither publish nor dogmatize, hence he was not subject to its laws, has to be considered as a barbaric act and an insult to the Right of Nations.” Voltaire

"I beg you, shorten please these deliberations. It is clear that Calvin for his pleasure wishes to make me rot in this prison. The lice eat me alive. My clothes are torn and I have nothing for a change, nor shirt, only a worn out vest.” Servetus, 1553

In 1942, the pro-Nazi

Vichy Government Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

took down the statue, as it was a celebration of freedom of conscience, and melted it. In 1960, having found the original molds, Annemasse had it recast and returned the statue to its previous place.pp. 313-316

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Annemasse is twinned with: *

Gaggenau Gaggenau is a town in the district of Rastatt, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located some 8 km northeast of Baden-Baden. History Gaggenau was first mentioned in local records in 1243 under the name "Gaggenaw". The present distric ...

, Germany *

Sieradz Sieradz ( la, Siradia, yi, שעראַדז, שערעדז, שעריץ, german: 1941-45 Schieratz) is a city on the Warta river in central Poland with 40,891 inhabitants (2021). It is the seat of the Sieradz County, situated in the Łódź Voivode ...

, Poland

Friendship pacts

Annemasse has friendly relations with: *

Boisbriand Boisbriand is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada, on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille Îles in the Thérèse-De Blainville Regional County Municipality. The Hasidic community of Kiryas Tosh is located w ...

, Canada *

Torricella Peligna Torricella Peligna is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of[Italy. History The foundation of Torricella dates back according to local tradition to an exodus from the exiles of Juvanum, during the Byzantine ...

, Italy

Gallery

Arve Annemasse.jpg, Arve River near Annemasse Gare SNCF, Annemasse, France.jpg, Annemasse railway station, main entrance Annemasse gare.jpg, Annemasse railway station, platforms Église Saint-André, Annemasse.jpg, Saint-André church Annemasse s. joseph 2.JPG, Saint-Joseph church

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Communes of Haute-Savoie