Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval
| Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Haute-Savoie | |
| Arrondissement | Bonneville | |
| Canton | Cluses | |
| Community association | Montagnes du Giffre | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 3 ' N , 6 ° 47' E | |
| height | 728-3,098 m | |
| surface | 119.07 km 2 | |
| Residents | 769 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 6 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 74740 | |
| INSEE code | 74273 | |
| Website | www.sixtferacheval.com | |
 View of the Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval basin |
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Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval ( fer à cheval = "Horseshoe") is a French municipality with 769 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Haute-Savoie in the region of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . The village in the Haute-Savoie was classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France ( French Les Plus beaux villages de France ).
geography
Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is located at 765 m , 15 kilometers northwest of Chamonix and about 50 km east-southeast of the city of Geneva (as the crow flies). The village is located in the Savoy Alps , in the eastern part of the historic Faucigny landscape and extends in a basin on the upper reaches of the Giffre .
The area of the 119.07 km² municipal area includes a section of the Savoy Alps with a strong relief and the entire upper catchment area of the Giffre (with the exception of the Alp von Anterne ). The Giffre rises on the western slopes of Grand Mont Ruan and then flows first to the southwest through a trough valley , the valley floor being up to one kilometer wide. In a short tributary, the is Cirque du Fer à Cheval , a horseshoe-shaped vessel ( Kar ) with high rock walls, different about the numerous waterfalls mountain streams fall down. The main settlement area is the valley basin near Sixt, into which another side valley flows from the south. To the west of this basin, the Giffre breaks through a narrow passage with the Gorges des Tines.
The valley slopes are densely forested and are dominated by rugged rock faces, with extensive alpine meadows in between. The Giffre Valley is flanked in the north by the peaks of Les Avoudrues ( 2666 m ), Les Dents Blanches ( 2757 m ), in the east by Grand Mont Ruan ( 3047 m , on the border with Valais ), Pic de Tenneverge ( 2987 m ), Cheval Blanc ( 2831 m ) and Le Buet (at 3096 m the highest point in Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval). On the slopes of these mountains, especially on Grand Mont Ruan, there are smaller glaciers and firn fields . In the far south the area extends to the Tête à l'Âne ( 2801 m ) and the karst area Désert de Platé . Around three quarters of the municipality's land belongs to the Sixt-Passy nature reserve .
In addition to the actual town center, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval also includes numerous other villages, settlements and hamlets as well as farms, including:
- Les Fay ( 770 m ) in the Sixt valley basin
- Maison Neuve ( 820 m ) in the Sixt valley basin
- Savigny ( 850 m ) in the Sixt valley basin
- Passy ( 1050 m ) on a ledge above the village
- Le Crot ( 820 m ) in the Giffre valley
- L'Echarny ( 840 m ) in the valley of the Giffre
- Le Molliet ( 840 m ) at the Giffre
- Nambride ( 846 m ) at Giffre
Neighboring communities of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval are Vallorcine in the east, Passy and Arâches-la-Frasse in the south, Samoëns in the west and the Swiss communities Chambéry , Evionnaz , Salvan and Finhaut in the northeast.
history
The Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval area has probably only been permanently settled since the 12th century. In 1130, Count Aymon von Faucigny donated the area to the Abondance monastery . As a result, the Augustinian monastery was founded by Sixt in 1144 . The monks cleared the valley and a settlement was built next to the monastery.
Attractions
The monastery church of Sainte-Madeleine was built in the 13th century; major changes were made in the 17th century. Sixt has several chapels, including the Chapelle de Salvagny , the Chapelle de Salmoiry (17th century) and the Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Grâces (from the 17th century). A granary and the refectory , both also from the 17th century, have been preserved from the former monastery buildings . The town centers of Sixt and Salvagny show numerous houses from the 16th to 19th centuries in the typical Savoyard style.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 605 |
| 1968 | 619 |
| 1975 | 626 |
| 1982 | 662 |
| 1990 | 715 |
| 1999 | 706 |
| 2007 | 788 |
With 769 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is one of the small communities in the Haute-Savoie department. In the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, the number of inhabitants continuously decreased due to strong emigration (in 1861, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval had 1,478 inhabitants). Since the beginning of the 1980s, however, a slight population increase has been recorded again.
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval was a village dominated by agriculture , alpine farming and handicrafts. Today there are various small business enterprises. Tourism (alpinism) began in the 19th century. In the last few decades Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval has developed into a holiday resort in the Haut-Giffre. The municipality specializes in both summer tourism and winter tourism (various mountain railways and ski lifts).
The village is off the main thoroughfares, but is easily accessible from Taninges via the D907 departmental road.
Web links
- Website of the municipality (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on Les plus Beaux Villages de France (French)
