Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the

Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population ...

department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

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 ...

of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chambéry metropolitan area was 253,430. It has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V, Count of Savoy, made the city his seat of power. Together with other alpine towns Chambéry engages in the

Alpine Town of the Year The Alpine Town of the Year award is given to towns which have made exceptional efforts for the realization of the Alpine Convention and for sustainable development. The ''Alpine Towns of the Year'' are members of the international association of ...

Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc. Chambéry was awarded Alpine Town of the Year 2006.

Geography

Chambéry was founded at a crossroads of ancient routes through the Dauphiné (''Dôfenâ'') region of France, Switzerland, and Italy, in a wide valley between the Bauges and the Chartreuse Mountains on the Leysse River. The metropolitan area has more than 125,000 residents, extending from the vineyard slopes of the :fr:Combe de Savoie almost to the shores of the

Lac du Bourget Lac du Bourget (; English Lake Bourget), also locally known as Lac Gris (; en, Grey Lake) or Lac d'Aix (), is a lake at the southernmost end of the Jura Mountains in the department of Savoie, France. It is the deepest lake located entirely wi ...

, the largest natural lake in France. The city is a major railway hub at the midpoint of the Franco-Italian Turin–Lyon high-speed railway (

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 ...

). Chambéry is situated in southeast France, from Paris, from

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

, from

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, from

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

and from

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 ...

. It is found in a large valley, surrounded by the Massif des Bauges to the east (dominated by Le Nivolet, upon which La Croix du Nivolet is found),

Mont Granier Mont Granier (1,933m) is a limestone mountain located between the départements of Savoie and Isère in France. It lies in the Chartreuse Mountains range of the French Prealps between the towns of Chapareillan and Entremont-le-Vieux. Its eas ...

(Chartreuse) and the Chaîne de Belledonne to the south, the

Chaîne de l'Épine The Chaîne de l'Épine, in the department of Savoie in southeast France, is a long ridge of the Jura Mountains that runs north–south along the east side of the Lac d'Aiguebelette, from the Col de l'Épine west of Chambéry as far as the ...

(the most southern mountain of the Jura) to the west and the

to the north. If seen as the meeting point of the Jura and the Alps, it is the westernmost point of the Swiss plateau which lies between them. The towns surrounding Chambéry are

Barberaz Barberaz (; frp, Barbéro) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is part of the urban area of Chambéry.Cognin Cognin is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Geography The river Hyères forms the commune's western border. Population See also *Communes of the Savoie department The following i ...

Jacob-Bellecombette Jacob-Bellecombette is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Savoie department The following is a list of the 273 communes of the Savoie departme ...

La Motte-Servolex La Motte-Servolex (; frp, La Mota-Cèrvolê) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is part of the urban area of Chambéry.La Ravoire,

Saint-Alban-Leysse Saint-Alban-Leysse () is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is part of the urban area of Chambéry.Sonnaz Sonnaz (; frp, Sonâ) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is part of the urban area of Chambéry.

History

The history of Chambéry is closely linked to the House of Savoy and was the Savoyard capital from 1295 to 1563. During this time, Savoy encompassed a region that stretched from Bourg-en-Bresse in the west, across the Alps to

, north to

, and south to

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

. To insulate Savoy from provocations by France, Duke Emmanuel Philibert moved his capital to

in 1563, and, consequently, Chambéry declined. France annexed the regions that formerly constituted the Duchy of Savoy west of the Alps in 1792; however, the former Duchy and Chambéry were returned to the rulers of the House of Savoy in Turin in 1815 following the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. The need for urban revitalization was met by the establishment of the ''Société Académique de Savoie'' in 1820, which was devoted to material and ethical progress, now housed in an apartment of the ducal

Château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. No ...

. Chambéry and lands of the former Duchy, as well as The County of Nice, were ceded to France by Piedmont in 1860, under the reign of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...

. File:Chambery 1645.jpg, Chambéry in 1645. File:Chambéry vers 1780.JPG, Around 1780. File:Chambéry 1864.jpg, In 1864.

Toponymy

The town known as Lemencum first changed its name in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

during the period that the Duc de Savoie erected his castle. It was called Camefriacum in 1016, Camberiaco in 1029, Cambariacum in 1036, and Cambariaco in 1044. In the next century, Cambariaco changed to Chamberium (1233), finally becoming Chamberi in 1603. The actual name supposedly comes from the Gaulois term ''camboritos'' (a ford situated in a curve). The Latin name ''cambarius'', meaning beer brewer, may also explain the name. Another hypothesis is that the Gallo-Roman name Camberiacum suggests the idea of currency changing (''cambium'') or trade (''camerinum'' : market), or perhaps, a room (''camera'') where the toll taxes are collected.

Climate

Chambéry is right on the boundary between the humid subtropical (Cfa) and oceanic climates (Cfb) under the Köppen system. In spite of this it is highly influenced by its interior position within France, resulting in quite hot summers and winters with frequent temperatures below freezing, especially at night. Convective rainfall is frequent for much of the year, rendering high precipitation/day quotas.

Main sights

Château de Chambéry

The first counts of Savoy settled into an existing fortress in 1285 and expanded it in the early-14th century to serve as a residence, seat of power and administration, and as stronghold for the House of Savoy. However, it quickly became obsolete as a serious fortification genuinely capable of resisting a siege. Due to constant French hostilities on the château, Duke Emmanuel Philibert decided to move his capital to Turin. The château remained purely an administrative centre until

Christine Marie of France Christine of France (10 February 1606 – 27 December 1663) was the sister of Louis XIII and Duchess of Savoy by marriage. Upon the death of her husband Victor Amadeus I in 1637, she acted as regent of Savoy between 1637 and 1648. Daughter of ...

, Duchess of Savoy, returned to hold court in 1640. It was the site of the 1684 marriage between Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia and

Anne Marie d'Orléans Anne Marie d'Orléans (27 August 1669 – 26 August 1728) was Queen of Sardinia by marriage to Victor Amadeus II of Savoy. She served as regent of Savoy during the absence of her spouse in 1686 and during the War of the Spanish Succession. ...

, niece of

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

Victor Amadeus II Victor Amadeus II (Vittorio Amedeo Francesco; 14 May 166631 October 1732) was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of Prince of Piedmont, Duke of Montferrat, Marquis of Saluzzo and Count of Aosta, Moriana and Nice. L ...

, having abdicated, lived here with his second wife Anna Canalis di Cumiana before they were imprisoned at the

Castle of Rivoli The Castle of Rivoli is a former Residence of the Royal House of Savoy in Rivoli (Metropolitan City of Turin, Italy). It is currently home to the Castello di Rivoli – Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, the museum of contemporary art of Turin. In 19 ...

for trying to reclaim the throne. In 1786, Victor Amadeus III enlarged it, adding a Royal Wing. Under Napoleon Bonaparte, the ''Aile du Midi'' ("South Wing") was rebuilt and redecorated to house the imperial prefecture of the department of Mont-Blanc. Elaborate modification to the structure were made again after Savoy was annexed by France in 1860. Today, the political administration of the department of Savoie is located in the castle, and it is open for tours and concerts. Fontaine des Éléphants (février 2022)

Fontaine des Éléphants

The ''Fontaine des Éléphants'' ("Elephants Fountain") is the most famous landmark in Chambéry. It was built in 1838 to honour Benoît de Boigne's feats when he was in India. The monumental fountain has strikingly realistic sculptures of the head and forelimbs of four lifesize elephants truncated into the base of a tall column in the shape of the savoyan (''savoyarde'') cross, topped by a statue of de Boigne. At first, the landmark was mocked by the local residents who were annoyed by it, but it now is accepted as one of the city's symbols. Since the early controversy, the statue kept its nickname of ''les quatre sans culs'', ("the four without arses", which sounds in French similar to the title of the best-known movie by '' nouvelle vague'' director François Truffaut: ''Les quatre cents coups'', "The 400 Blows"). A total restoration was done between December 2014 and July 2015.

Others

The Cistercian

Abbey of Hautecombe Hautecombe Abbey (french: Abbaye d'Hautecombe, ; la, Altaecumbaeum) is a former Cistercian monastery, later a Benedictine monastery, in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille in Savoie, France. For centuries it was the burial place of the members of the Ho ...

, founded in 1135, is one of the burial places of the rulers of the House of Savoy. Saint Francis de Sales officiated at Notre-Dame de Myans (established before the 12th century). Francis I of France went to Notre-Dame de l'Aumône at Rumilly in the 13th century as a pilgrim. The

Sisters of St Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for ...

, an order founded at Chambéry in 1812, devotes itself to teaching and charitable work, and today, its members are now spread worldwide. Chambéry is also the administrative headquarters of the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie.

Education

The Savoy Mont Blanc University (a.k.a. Chambéry University) is a university founded in 1979 with one campus in Annecy and two around Chambéry. It has about 15,000 students. Chambéry has a campus of the Arts et Métiers ParisTech (ENSAM) engineering graduate school, which created a research institute in 1994 there. It offers doctoral and master programs in the field of mechanical and industrial engineering. Chambéry is also home to the INSEEC Business School, a French business school which offers Master in Management – Grande école program educational system.

Transport

Chambéry Airport Chambéry Airport or Chambéry-Savoie Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport de Chambéry - Savoie-Mont-Blanc) , also known as Chambéry Aix-les-Bains Airport, is a small international airport near Chambéry, a ''commune'' in Savoy, France. Commer ...

serves Chambéry in the winter. The

Chambéry-Challes-les-Eaux station Chambéry-Challes-les-Eaux station ( French: ''Gare de Chambéry-Challes-les-Eaux'') is a railway station in the Savoie département of France. The station serves the city of Chambéry. The station is served by three major high speed services, t ...

provides rail connections, including a nonstop

service to Paris-Gare de Lyon. High-speed rail service also continues east along the Maurienne Valley and through the Fréjus Rail Tunnel to

and

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

, Italy.
Synchro Bus
is the local bus system. From 1892 to 1932 the Chambéry tramway, a narrow-gauge steam tram network, connected the town with its surroundings.

Military

Chambéry is home to the 13th Battalion of the '' Chasseurs Alpins''.

Demography

In 2018, 58,833 people lived in the city, while its

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 ...

had a population of 253,430.Comparateur de territoire
INSEE, retrieved 20 June 2022.

Vermouth

Chambéry is an AOC region for Chambéry vermouth, where the Dolin and Routin brands are made.

Sport

Chambéry is home to Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc Handball, Chambéry SF and to Stade Olympique Chambérien Rugby.

Notable people

Chambéry was the birthplace of (chronological order): *

Thomas, Count of Savoy Thomas Ι (''Tommaso I''; c. 1178 – 1 March 1233) was Count of Savoy from 1189 to 1233. He is sometimes numbered "Thomas I" to distinguish him from his son of the same name. His long reign marked a decisive period in the history of Savoy. Bi ...

(1178-1233), who buys the city, with the exception of the castle, to Viscount Berlion de Chambéry, 15 March 1230. * Amadeus V, Count of Savoy (ca.1252 - 1323), who buys in 1295 the castle of Chambéry, which will become the main county residence of the House of Savoy. * François de Candie (ca.1314–1360), 1st Viscount of Geneva, nobleman and military commander of the Royal Guard of Savoy, Lord of the Chateau of Rumilly, and Salagine. * Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy (1383–1451), Pope Felix V from 1439 to 1449. * Gauvain de Candie, count of Berruyre, novelist and poet of the

House of Candia The House of Candia was a noble family from Savoy (14th-16th).Annuaire de la noblesse de France (1861)on line/ref> It held a castle at Chambéry-Le-Vieux under the name "Château de Candie". Members François de Candie was Viscount of G ...

, who in 1475 at age 28 he composed the famous "''Chason d'Amoure''" recited poems to the ducal couple of Marguerite of Austria and Philibert II, Duke of Savoy. *

César Vichard de Saint-Réal César Vichard de Saint-Réal (1639–1692) was a French polyglot. He was born in Chambéry, Savoy, but educated in Lyon by the Jesuits. He used to work in the royal library with Antoine Varillas. This French historiographer influenced the way Sa ...

(1639–1692), novelist. * Amédée-François Frézier (1682–1773), engineer, mathematician, spy, and explorer * Benoît de Boigne (1751–1830), military adventurer in India. * Joseph de Maistre, (1753–1821) conservative political philosopher and critic of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

. *

Xavier de Maistre Xavier de Maistre (; 10 October 1763 – 12 June 1852) of Savoy (then part of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia) lived largely as a military man but is known as a French writer. The younger brother of Joseph de Maistre, a noted philosopher an ...

(1763–1852), soldier and author. * Luigi Federico, conte Menabrea (1809–1896), Italian prime minister and general. *

Simone Antonio Saint-Bon Simone Antonio Pacoret de Saint-Bon (March 20, 1828 – November 26, 1892) was an admiral of the Italian ''Regia Marina'' (Royal Navy). Saint-Bon was born at Chambéry, now in France, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Leaving the Naval Academ ...

(1828–1892), admiral of the Italian ''

Regia Marina The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("M ...

'' (Royal Navy). * Pierre Lanfrey (1828–1877), historian and politician. * Pierre Pendaries (1893-??), World War I

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

Michel de Certeau Michel de Certeau (; 17 May 1925 – 9 January 1986) was a French Jesuit priest and scholar whose work combined history, psychoanalysis, philosophy, and the social sciences as well as hermeneutics, semiotics, ethnology, and religion. He was ...

(1925–1986), Jesuit and scholar * Jean-Michel Roddaz (born 1948), historian * brothers Renaud Capuçon (born 1976) and Gautier Capuçon (born 1981); violinist & cellist * Grégory Lemarchal (1983-2007), French singer and winner from the reality TV programme Star Academy in 2004 * Pierre-Jules Ginet (born 1985), pastry chef at Fauchon * Olivier Giroud (born 1986), French international footballer and striker for Italian Serie A club A.C. Milan * Marion Allemoz (born 1989), captain of the

France women's national ice hockey team The French women's national ice hockey team represents France at international ice hockey tournaments, including the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championship. The women's national team is controlled by Fédération F ...

and first French player to play professional women's hockey in North America

International relations

Chambéry is twinned with: * Albstadt, Germany * Blainville, Canada * Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso * Shawinigan, Canada *

, Italy * Zhangjiakou, China

References

External links

* *
Official websiteSTAC
– the local bus system {{DEFAULTSORT:Chambery Communes of Savoie Prefectures in France