Abondance (Haute-Savoie)

Abondance is a municipality with 1348 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) and a canton capital in the French department of Haute-Savoie Rhone-Alpes region. The place is located in the Arrondissement of Thonon- les- Bains, which belongs to the French part of the Chablais.

Geography

Landscape and settlement

The municipality is located in the valley of the Dranse d' Abondance and has an area of ​​58.84 square kilometers. Through the valley leads an old road connection from Geneva via the Pas de Morgins, Valais after Saint- Maurice. In the lower section of the Dransetals makes the road because of the steep gorge at Bioge in Reyvroz a detour via Gavot is from where Evian easy reach, while another road leads over Féternes to Thonon -les- Bains.

The community includes several scattered individual settlements and hamlets.

Neighboring communities

  • Chevenoz
  • Bonnevaux
  • Vacheresse
  • La Chapelle- d'Abondance
  • Châtel

History

In the early Middle Ages Abondance belonged to the dominion of the Lords of Féternes. In 1080 Ludwig donated by Féternes the Kanonikergemeinschaft the Savoy monastery in Saint- Maurice lands in the valley. Saint- Maurice initially built a small mountain village with a chapel at the site of present-day municipality of La Chapelle d'Abondance and later a daughter monastery in Abondance.

In the early 13th century, the Abondance valley came under the rule of the Counts of Savoy, which were later elevated to dukes.

During the Napoleonic Wars the western Chablais belonged to France from 1792 to 1815 and then under the House of Savoy to the Kingdom of Sardinia - Piedmont. 1860 also voted in Abondance, the population for the connection of the Haute -Savoie in France.

Economy

From the valley of Abondance comes a semi -hard cheese of the same name, which is derived from the raw milk of a native breed of cattle.

By 1980, the formerly largely Farming local economy focused mainly on tourism from, initially for winter sports, in recent times increasingly for summer activities. The better known ski resort in the valley is La Chapelle- d'Abondance, a station of the cross-border ski area Portes du Soleil. Became famous for the town of Abondance in winter 2007/2008, especially the fact that it has abolished first town in the Alps due to global warming their entire ski area. With the entry of an investor ( snowman building systems) the operation of the lifts will be resumed in the winter of 2009 /2010.

Attractions

  • Former monastery
  • Cloister next to the church, with rich murals
  • Museum of Religious Folk Art
  • Winter Sports Museum
Arrondissement of Thonon-les-Bains Cantons of France Postal codes in France Bonnevaux (Haute-Savoie) St. Maurice's Abbey Abondance (cattle) Wintersport
25149
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