Servoz
| Servoz | ||
|---|---|---|
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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 ° 56 ' N , 6 ° 46' E | |
| height | 758-2,324 m | |
| surface | 13.47 km 2 | |
| Residents | 999 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 74 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 74310 | |
| INSEE code | 74266 | |
Servoz is a French commune in the department of Haute-Savoie in the region of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes .
geography
Servoz is located at 814 m , west of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc , about 56 kilometers southeast of the city of Geneva (as the crow flies). The village extends in a basin in the Savoy Alps at the foot of Mont Blanc , at the confluence of the Diosaz and the Arve , in the south-east of Faucigny .
The area of the 13.47 km² municipal area includes a section of the upper Arve valley. The southern border runs along the Arve, which flows with a steep gradient to the west through a gorge below Servoz and after a few kilometers reaches the wide basin of Sallanches. To the north, the community area extends over the valley floor and the slope from Servoz to the heights of the Massif de Sixt. To the east, the municipality extends into the Diosaz gorge and to the Pointe Noire de Pormenaz to the north , on which the highest elevation of Servoz is reached at 2324 m and which belongs to the Aiguilles Rouges .
In addition to the actual town center, Servoz also includes various hamlet settlements and farms, including:
- Vieux-Servoz ( 820 m ) at the upper entrance into the valley of the Arve
- Le Mont ( 950 m ) on the slope north of the Arve
- La Côte ( 1050 m ) on the slope north of the Arve
The neighboring communities of Servoz are Passy in the north, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in the east and Les Houches in the south.
history
The municipality of Servoz was already settled during Roman times, which could be proven by ceramic fragments from the 3rd and 4th centuries. Servoz itself is only mentioned in the late Middle Ages. The place name is derived from the patois expression serva (forest). 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 village church of Saint-Loup originally dates from 1537, but was enlarged and redesigned in Baroque style in 1697 . The Oratoire Saint-Bernard near Vieux-Servoz was built in the 19th century. There are also ruins of a tower from the 16th century.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 441 |
| 1968 | 426 |
| 1975 | 434 |
| 1982 | 435 |
| 1990 | 619 |
| 1999 | 818 |
With 999 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) Servoz is one of the small communities in the Haute-Savoie department. In the course of the 20th century, the number of inhabitants decreased continuously due to strong emigration (in 1901 there were still 755 inhabitants in Servoz). Since the mid-1980s, however, a significant increase in population has been recorded.
Economy and Infrastructure
Servoz was a village dominated by agriculture and alpine farming until well into the 20th century . Mining (on copper, lead and silver) also played a certain role at times. Today there are various small business enterprises. Many workers are commuters who work in the larger towns in the area.
The village is located off the main thoroughfares, but is easily accessible from the four-lane main road N205 (Passy – Chamonix). Another road connection with Passy is via the hillside above the villages. Le Lac train station on the Saint-Gervais-Vallorcine railway line is around 1 km from the town center.
