Samoëns, France

Samoens is a town in Haute-Savoie in the south-east of France. Samoëns (pronounced: Samoin. The final "s" is silent) stretches between 700 and 2,500 meters above sea level in the heart of the Haut-Giffre valley, in the north-east of Haute Savoie, halfway between Chamonix and Geneva, at the foot of the Criou mountain and a stone's throw from the Fer à Cheval glacial cirque (which is in the town of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval), the last bastion of the limestone Alps before the granitic Aiguilles Rouges.

Tourist resort in winter as in summer (it is part of the Grand Massif ski area), the resort has traditional architecture and a strong cultural heritage, marked by the presence of stonemasons called the Frahans. This presence explains the dominance of stone in Septimont architecture.

The ski resort is located in Samoëns 1600. It is linked to the village by a cable car, the Grand Massif Express, which brings skiers and visitors to the ski area in 08 minutes.

The village is located in the heart of a flat-bottomed valley, which makes it easy to get around on foot or by bike despite the extent of it. The Giffre river crosses all of Samoëns, its waters being popular with lovers of white water activities.

The inhabitants of Samoëns are the septimontains (or samoënsiens - pronounced samoinzien) perhaps in memory of the seven "mountains" or communal mountain pastures enjoyed by the inhabitants of past centuries.

 

History

Various finds indicate that the area around Samoëns was already inhabited in the Neolithic. The first documented mention of the place was in 1167 under the names Samoens and Samoën. Later the designations Samoyn, Semoeng, Samoding, Samodens and 1652 Samoùan appeared. The place name means sept mons (seven mountains/alp pastures), derived from the Franco-Provençal words sat (seven) and moens (mountains). Other sources attribute Samoëns to the Burgundian personal name Sanemod or Senamod.

In the Middle Ages, Samoëns belonged to the lordship of Faucigny. As part of the Dauphiné, the town came to France in 1349, but was given to the Counts of Savoy in an exchange of countries in the Treaty of Paris in 1355. After that, Samoëns shared the fate of Savoy. In 1476 a Bernese troop broke into Samoëns via the mountain passes from Valais and destroyed the village and its castle. In the 16th century the place received certain freedom rights. Since the 17th century, Samoëns has developed into a center for stonemasonry and bricklaying. The limestone mined at Samoëns was used to build churches, bridges and houses in the near and far region. Because of this and the extensive Alps (dairy farming and cheese production), Samoëns achieved a certain level of prosperity, especially in the 18th century. A change of territory occurred in 1865 when Verchaix was separated from Samoëns and became an independent municipality.

 

Geography

Samoëns is located at 710 m, east of Cluses, about 46 kilometers east-southeast of the city of Geneva (as the crow flies). The village extends on the northern edge of the wide valley floor of the Giffre, in the Savoy Alps in Haut-Giffre, in eastern Faucigny.

The area of the 97.29 km² large municipal area includes a heavily reliefed section of the Savoy Alps. The area is crossed from south-east to north-west by the Giffre, which flows in a wide valley with a flat valley floor around 1.5 km wide. At Samoëns, the Giffre takes in the Nant d'Ant torrent from the south and the Clévieux from the north. South of the Giffre valley, the municipal area extends to the heights of the Grand Massif (tourist region) with the peaks of Tête du Pré des Saix (2113 m) and Tête Pelouse (2474 m). To the north and east, the communal soil extends into the source valleys of the Clévieux, which are flanked by rugged limestone peaks. The eastern border runs through Les Avoudrues (at 2666 m the highest point of Samoëns), Pointe Rousse des Chambres (2655 m) and the western summit of the Dents Blanches (2638 m). There are several small firn fields on the northern slopes of these mountains. There are several caves in the karst relief. In the far north, the municipal area extends over the watershed into the headwaters of the Dranse de Morzine above Morzine.

In addition to the actual town centre, Samoëns also includes numerous other villages, settlements and hamlets as well as farmsteads, including:

L'Etelley (690 m) on the southern edge of the Giffre valley
Vercland (825 m) on a terrace on the southern slope of the Giffre valley
Le Villard (800 m) on the northern slope of the Giffre valley
Mathonex (910 m) on a ledge on the northern slope of the Giffre valley
Chantemerle (1060 m) on the northern slope of the Giffre valley
La Bérouze (690 m) in the Giffre valley
Les Moulins (720 m) in the Giffre valley at the outlet of the Clévieux
Vallon d'en Bas (710 m) in the Giffre valley
Vallon d'en Haut (713 m) in the Giffre valley
Sougey (720 m) in the valley of the Giffre
Les Allamands (1030 m) in a Clévieux cirque
Neighboring municipalities of Samoëns are Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval to the east, Arâches-la-Frasse to the south, Morillon and Verchaix to the west, Morzine to the north and the Swiss municipality of Champéry to the northeast.

 

Location

The town of Samoëns is located in the heart of the northern pre-Alps in the Giffre valley. This mountain town is one of the most extensive in the Haute-Savoie department. The Samoëns valley and its nine hamlets stand out for the richness of its heritage and continuous activity throughout the year, mainly driven by winter and summer tourism.

The capital is located at an altitude of 703 meters, but the town rises to 2,666 m at the tip of Avoudrues.

 

Relief, geology

The town is protected by the Aiguille de Criou and a stone's throw from the Fer-à-Cheval cirque, the last bastion of the limestone Alps.

Limestone predominates in the surroundings; Samoëns is crossed by the Giffre, which is the main tributary of the Arve.

If the mountains of Samoëns remain relatively modest in altitude, the town is renowned for its original karstic relief and for its extraordinary deep underground cavities such as the Jean-Bernard and Mirolda chasms.

The names of the seven mountains or pastures surrounding the town according to tradition are: Cuidex, Vigny, Folly, Oddaz, Bostan, Chardonnière, Freterolles, La Vullie (seems to be on the Criou); in an old document, we also speak of Versitorie, but the place is no longer known.

Weather
The location of Samoëns, at an altitude of 710 m in the capital, is in a continental mountain climate characterized by marked humidity2. Winters are cold and snowy and the summer season is mild with occasional stormy episodes. The inter-seasons (April and October) are also wetter.

 

Getting here

By plane
The nearest is Geneva Airport, 57 km away. To leave Switzerland for France (or vice versa) by the Swiss motorway, you must pay the Swiss motorway sticker. Taxis and private carriers also run the Geneva - Samoëns race.

By train
Arrival at the Cluses (20 km), Geneva (50 km) or Bellegarde (70 km) SNCF station. In winter, there is a direct TGV connection Paris - Cluses - Paris. The rest of the year, the TGV arrives to Annecy, Bellegarde or Lyon, then the TER towards Saint-Gervais-Les Bains / Geneva.

By bus
There is a connection to Samoëns from the Cluses SNCF station, 20 km away (SAT coaches).

By car
The nearest motorway is the A40 (Autoroute Blanche). The fastest is to take the Cluses / Scionzier exit then continue via the Col de Châtillon (direction Taninges). From Cluses, allow 25 minutes to reach Samoëns. Some distances: Lyon 200 km, Paris 600 km, Geneva 57 km.