Les Houches
| Les Houches | ||
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| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Haute-Savoie | |
| Arrondissement | Bonneville | |
| Canton | Le Mont-Blanc | |
| Community association | Vallée de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc | |
| Coordinates | 45 ° 53 ' N , 6 ° 48' E | |
| height | 796-4,280 m | |
| surface | 43.07 km 2 | |
| Residents | 2,943 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 68 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 74310 | |
| INSEE code | 74143 | |
| Website | www.leshouches.fr | |
 Mairie from Les Houches |
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Les Houches is a French commune in the department of Haute-Savoie in the region of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes .
geography
Les Houches is located at 1008 m , west of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc , about 60 kilometers southeast of the city of Geneva (as the crow flies). The village extends in a basin of the Arve in the Savoy Alps at the northern foot of Mont Blanc .
The area of the 43.07 km² municipal area includes a section of the upper Arve valley. From east to west the area is crossed by the Arve in a more or less wide valley. Below Les Houches, the Swiss stone pine draws an arc and now flows north-northwest through a gorge-like sunk valley. To the north of the Arve valley, the municipal area extends to the Aiguillette des Houches ( 2285 m ), which forms the south-western end of the Massif des Aiguilles Rouges , and into the deeply cut Diosaz gorge (right tributary of the Arve).
On the western slope of the valley are the terraces of Vaudagne and Les Chavants. The border runs in the area of the height of Le Prarion and Col de Voza . To the south, the municipality extends over the steep slopes of the Mont Blanc massif, furrowed by various erosion valleys, to the ice-covered summit of the Dôme du Goûter , on which the highest elevation of Les Houches is reached at 4304 m . The Glacier de Taconnaz forms the eastern border.
In addition to the actual town center, Les Houches also includes various hamlet and holiday settlements and farms, including:
- Le Lac ( 810 m ) in the Servoz valley basin
- Vaudagne ( 1050 m ) on the slope west of the Arve
- Les Chavants ( 1040 m ) on a terrace on the western slope of the Arve
- Le Bettey ( 1400 m ) on a ledge on the southwest slope of the Aiguillette des Houches
- La Griaz ( 991 m ) in the Arve valley
- Le Bourgeat ( 999 m ) in the Arve valley
- Le Pont ( 1040 m ) on the debris cone of the Bourgeat torrent on the southern slope of the Arve
- Taconnaz ( 1046 m ) on the debris cone of the torrent that flows from the Glacier de Taconnaz
Neighboring municipalities of Les Houches are Servoz in the north, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in the east and Saint-Gervais-les-Bains in the west.
history
In the Middle Ages, Les Houches belonged to the territory of the Lords of Faucigny. At the instigation of Béatrice de Faucigny, the Château de Saint-Michel was built in the 13th century. As part of the Dauphiné, the place 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, Les Houches shared the fate of Savoy . In 1864 the community moved from the canton of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains to the newly created canton of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc . The two cantons were merged in 2015.
Attractions
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste church was built in 1734 in the Baroque style. Also worth mentioning are the chapels of Vaudagne (17th century), Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Fouilly and Le Pont (all from the 19th century). On the Roc d'Oran, a rocky outcrop on the northern slope of the Arve valley, there is a 25 meter high statue of Christ , which was erected between 1933 and 1934. The ruins of the former 13th century Saint-Michel castle have been preserved. In the hamlets you will find numerous farmhouses in the traditional style.
Village street with a view of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church
Saint-Jean-Baptiste church
Christ statue
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 1,186 |
| 1968 | 1,243 |
| 1975 | 1,474 |
| 1982 | 1,766 |
| 1990 | 1,947 |
| 1999 | 2,706 |
| 2006 | 3,037 |
With 2943 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) Les Houches is one of the medium-sized municipalities in the Haute-Savoie department. In the course of the 20th century, the number of inhabitants decreased continuously due to strong emigration (1901 in Les Houches there were still 2069 inhabitants). Since the beginning of the 1970s and especially during the 1990s, thanks to the proximity to Chamonix, a significant increase in population was recorded again.
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Les Houches was a predominantly agricultural village. In addition, mining on copper and asphalt also played a certain role. Today there are various small business enterprises. Many workers are commuters who work in the larger towns in the area. In the last few decades, Les Houches has developed into an important holiday destination. The municipality mainly specializes in winter tourism. Various mountain railways and ski lifts open up the slopes at the northern foot of Mont Blanc. There is also a connection with the Tramway du Mont-Blanc via the mountain railways . The Arlberg-Kandahar races from Chamonix, which take place sporadically as part of the Alpine Ski World Cup, are held in the Les Houches ski area.
The village is very well developed in terms of traffic. It is slightly above the four-lane main road N205, which leads from Annemasse to Chamonix. Les Houches has a train station on the Saint-Gervais – Vallorcine line .
