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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.