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Chambéry is a French commune located in the Savoie department in
the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Located in the Northern Prealps
between the Bauges and Chartreuse massifs, at the confluence of the
Leysse and Albanne then Hyères, the city is the current prefecture
of Savoy, as well as the seat of a court of appeal and an
archdiocese. With a municipal population of 59,490 inhabitants in
2014, Chambéry ranks 91st nationally.
The city is nicknamed
the “City of the Dukes” because acquired by the House of Savoy in
1232, it became the political capital of the Counts of Savoy in 1295
when the castle was purchased and the official establishment of the
Resident Council1, then Duchy of Savoy from 1416 until its transfer
to Turin in 1562. Chambéry nevertheless remains the historic capital
of the States of Savoy. Thanks to the mastery of the great alpine
passes and the road to Italy, which earned them the nickname of
Portiers des Alpes, the counts, then dukes of Savoy, who became
kings of Sardinia in 1718, exercised a certain influence in Europe,
in particular by establishing a veritable laboratory of “enlightened
absolutism”. From 1792 to 1815 and since 1860, the city is part of
France.
Marked by late industrialization, the city's economy
has long relied on the presence of administrations and the army. Its
historic center was partially destroyed during the bombings of May
1944. Since its merger with two rural municipalities and the
creation of new districts and industrial zones in the 1950s and
1960s, Chambéry has experienced strong demographic growth. The
presence of the Savoie-Mont-Blanc University, established in 1979,
also brought Chambéry a large university population.
Château de Chambéry
The castle of the Dukes of Savoy or Château de Chambéry is an old
fortified castle, from the eleventh century, which stands in the
town of Chambéry in the Savoie department in the
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Modified several times since the
thirteenth century, it has retained since that date an
administrative vocation. From 1502 to 1578, the chapel of the castle
housed the Shroud. In its bell tower, is currently installed a large
carillon called "Saint-François de Sales" composed of 70 bells, the
work of the Paccard foundry in SévrierNote 1. A concert takes place
the first and third Saturday of each month at 5.30 pm.
The
castle now houses the services of the Prefecture of Savoy, the
departmental council of Savoy and the Académie de Savoie. In terms
of historical monuments: the former castle of the Dukes of Savoy is
classified by decree of August 10, 1881, the large living room
decorated with Louis XVI decor is classified by decree of April 20,
1960.
Fontaine des Éléphants/ Elephant fountain
The fountain of the Elephants, historically called the Column of Boigne and today more simply called "the Elephants" or nicknamed "the four without asses", is a fountain located in the town of Chambéry, in the French department of Savoie in the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Erected in 1838 in honor of General-Count de Boigne, the fountain is today one of the city's most famous monuments. It has been classified as a historical monument since May 7, 1982.
Historic center - 15th century
Museum of Fine Arts - Savoy
museum (local history), Charmettes museum (dedicated to Jean-Jacques
Rousseau).
Jean-Jacques Rousseau Carré Curial Media Library, BP
40208, 73002 Chambéry Cedex - Accessible, without assistance, to
people with reduced mobility, the building, designed by architect
Aurelio Galfetti, has long represented a technical feat with its
glass and curved facade. Attached to the Carré Curial and the Espace
Malraux, it is a center of culture and heritage which preserves a
very rich collection of old books.
Several contemporary buildings
(Espace Malraux, Médiathèque, Le Manège, Cité des Arts).
Les
Charmettes (Maison de Jean-Jacques Rousseau) 890 Chemin des
Charmettes (Line 26), +334 79 33 39 44 10 am-6pm. Free entry. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau stays in the valley of Charmettes with Madame
de Warens between 1736 and 1742. He describes this place in books V
and VI of the Confessions and in the tenth of Rêveries du promenade
solitaire.
By plane
Chambéry has an airport (Bourget-du-Lac) with regular
connections. Lyon Saint-Exupéry International Airport is less than
an hour's drive away. TGV or direct bus between Lyon airport and
Chambéry bus station. Grenoble-Isère airport is one hour away.
Chambéry - Savoie Airport (IATA: CMF) Viviers-du-Lac, Logo
indicating a telephone number +33 4 79 54 49 54, fax: +33 4 79 54 49
50, email:
accueil@chambery-airport.com
By train
Chambéry is
directly connected by TGV to Paris (3 hours) and by regional trains
with all the main cities in the region.
Chambéry station -
Challes-les-Eaux Place de la Gare 73010 Chambéry
By car
Chambéry is linked by motorway to
Lyon via A43 to the west
Grenoble via A41 to the south
Aix-les-Bains, Annecy and Geneva
via A41 north
Turin in Italy via A43 and the Fréjus tunnel to the
east
Around the city
By bus
STAC urban bus network
By bike
Bike rental at
the Vélostation (at the SNCF station)