Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval

Sixt -Fer -à- Cheval (fer à cheval = " horseshoe " ) is a commune with 797 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône -Alpes. The village in the Haute-Savoie is classified as one of the plus beaux villages de France ( most beautiful villages in France ).

Geography

Sixt -Fer -à- Cheval is located 765 meters above sea level. Level, 15 km north- west of Chamonix and about 50 km east-southeast of the city of Geneva (air line). The village is located in the Savoy Alps, in the eastern part of the historical landscape Faucigny and extends into a basin at the headwaters of the Giffre.

The area of ​​119.07 km ² municipal area includes a strong in relief section of the Savoy Alps and the entire upper catchment area of ​​the Giffre ( with the exception of the Alp of Anterne ). The Giffre rises on the western slopes of the Grand Mont Ruan initially and then flows southwest through a glacial valley, the valley floor is up to 1 km wide. In a short tributary is the Cirque du Fer à Cheval, a horseshoe-shaped vessel ( Kar ) with high rock walls plunge down on the numerous waterfalls of various mountain streams. The main settlement area is the basin at Sixt in from the south joins another tributary. To the west of this basin breaks through the Giffre with the Gorges of Tines a bottleneck.

The valley slopes are densely wooded and are surmounted by steep rock walls, in between there is an extensive alpine meadows. The Giffre valley is flanked to the north by the peaks of Les Avoudrues ( 2666 m above sea level. M. ) Les Dents Blanches ( 2757 m above sea level. M. ), to the east of Grand Mont Ruan ( 3047 m above sea level. M., on the border of the Valais), Pic de Tenneverge ( 2987 m above sea level. M. ), Cheval Blanc ( 2831 m above sea level. M. ) and Le Buet ( with 3096 m above sea level. M. the highest elevation of Sixt -Fer -à- Cheval ). On the slopes of these mountains, especially at the Grand Mont Ruan, there are smaller glaciers and snowfields. In the far south, the area extends to the Tête à l' Âne ( 2801 m above sea level. M. ) and in the karst area Désert de Platé. About three-quarters of the land belonging to the community nature reserve Sixt -Passy.

At Sixt -Fer -à- Cheval addition to the actual center also includes numerous other villages, settlements and hamlets and farmsteads, including:

• Les Fay (770 m above sea level. M. ) in the valley of Sixt
• Maison Neuve (820 m above sea level. M. ) in the valley of Sixt
• Savigny (850 m above sea level. M. ) in the valley of Sixt
• Passy (1050 m above sea level. M. ) on a ridge above the village
• Le Crot (820 m above sea level. M. ) in the valley of Giffre
• L' Echarny (840 m above sea level. M. ) in the valley of Giffre
• Le Molliet (840 m above sea level. M. ) on Giffre
• Nambride ( 846 m above sea level. M. ) on Giffre

Neighboring communities of Sixt -Fer -à- Cheval Vallorcine in the east, Passy and Arâches la Frasse in the south, Samoens in the west and the Swiss towns Chambery, Evionnaz, Salvan and Finhaut in the Northeast.

History

The area of Sixt -Fer -à- Cheval is probably permanently settled until the 12th century. In 1130, Count Aymon of Faucigny the territory of the monastery of Abondance. Then the Augustinian monastery of Sixt was founded in 1144. The monks reclaimed the valley cultivated, and next to the monastery was a settlement.

Attractions

The abbey church of Sainte -Madeleine, built in the 13th century; major alterations were made in the 17th century. At Sixt are several chapels, including the Chapelle de Salvagny, the Chapelle de Salmoiry (17th century) and the Chapelle Notre- Dame-des- Graces ( 17th century). Of the former convent buildings are a store and the refectory, both also from the 17th century. The town centers of Sixt and Salvagny show numerous houses from the 16th to the 19th century in typical Savoyard style.

Population

With 797 inhabitants ( 1 January 2011) Sixt -Fer -à- Cheval is one of the small towns in the Haute-Savoie region. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the population steadily increased due to high levels of emigration from (1861 were still 1478 inhabitants counted in Sixt- Fer-à - Cheval ). Since the early 1980s, however, a slight increase in population was recorded again.

Economy and infrastructure

Sixt -Fer -à- Cheval was until well into the 20th century a predominantly marked by one and Alpine farming and craft village. Today there are various operations of small businesses. In the 19th century tourism ( mountaineering ) took his beginnings. In recent decades, Sixt -Fer -à- Cheval has developed into a holiday resort in the Haut- Giffre. The community is specialized in both the summer tourism as well as on winter tourism ( several mountain railways and ski lifts).

The village is located off the major thoroughfares, but is easily accessible from Taninges on the secondary road D907.