Tignes

Tignes
region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Savoie
Arrondissement	Albertville
Canton	Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Community association	Haute Tarentaise
Coordinates	45 ° 28 ′ N , 6 ° 55 ′ E Coordinates: 45 ° 28 ′ N , 6 ° 55 ′ E
height	1,440-3,747 m
surface	81.63 km 2
Residents	2,196 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	27 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	73320
INSEE code	73296
Website	www.tignes.net
	; The district of Tignes-le-Lac ; on the banks of the small Lac de Tignes

Tignes [ tiɲ ] is a French commune with a population of 2,196 (as at 1st January 2017) in the department of Savoie in the region of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . The place is about 2000 meters above sea level in a high alpine valley on the upper reaches of the Isère . Today it consists of the three districts Le Lavachet, Val Claret and Tignes-le-Lac, which are grouped around a small lake. It is one of the highest municipalities in Europe (see Saint-Véran , 2040 m). The name Lac de Tignes is often used for the place, the large lake in the valley and the small lake at an altitude of 2000 m .

history

The old village of Tignes disappeared in 1952 in the Lac du Chevril , to which the Isère was dammed. The people of Tignes were forced to leave the land of their ancestors after long and bitter resistance from the locals (especially farmers). Most of the local residents received severance payments. To commemorate the old village of Tignes, a memorial was erected on the shores of Lac du Chevril in 2003, to mark the 50th anniversary of the dam. It shows a proud young woman in traditional clothing looking over the water. The statue comes from Livio Benedetti and stands for "Semper Vivens" (Latin for "Always Alive").

Tignes today

Today Tignes is a state-of-the-art luxury ski resort, which the former residents of Tignes call "Super-Tignes".

Sports

Alpine skiing

One of the most famous ski areas in France is located in the high valley around Tignes . The so-called Espace Killy, named after the French downhill Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy , includes the ski areas of Tignes and Val-d'Isère . In 1992 the freestyle skiing competitions took place there as part of the Winter Olympics . In 1986 Tignes hosted the 1st Freestyle Skiing World Championship .

Tour de France

Tignes was the 2007 stage destination of the Tour de France . The arrival of the 8th stage at an altitude of 2068 meters was won by the Dane Michael Rasmussen . The climb begins in Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise and is 17.9 km long. 1028 meters of altitude are covered, which corresponds to an average gradient of 5.5%.