Chanaz

Chanaz is a town in the French department of Savoie in the Rhone -Alpes.

Geography

Chanaz is located on 232 m above sea level. M., near Culoz, about 29 kilometers north-northwest of the city of Chambéry (air line). The town extends in the extreme northwest of the department of Savoie, near the Lac du Bourget, at the mouth of the Canal de Savière in the Rhône, at the northern foot of Mont Landard.

The area of ​​6.75 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the Rhone Valley. The Rhone flows in a wide valley from north to south. The western boundary runs along the Rhône, which is dammed below the village by a weir ( Barrage de Savières ). Therefore, their water is split on one channel and a wide Altwasserflussbett. From the river, the municipality's area ( above sea level. M. with 583 m the highest elevation of Chanaz ) extends eastward to the wooded ridge of the Mont Landard and on the northern foothills of Le Communal (515 m above sea level. M. ). Along the Canal de Savière reaches the area in the Chautagne and almost to the Lac du Bourget.

To Chanaz addition to the actual center also includes several hamlets settlements and farmsteads, including:

• Flandre (250 m above sea level. M. ) increased slightly by the southern edge of the level of Chautagne
• Sindon (390 m above sea level. M. ) on the northern slopes of Mont Landard above Lac du Bourget
• Landard (400 m above sea level. M. ) on a plateau at the foot of Mont Landard
• A part of Portout (240 m above sea level. M. ) north of the Lac du Bourget

Neighboring communities of Chanaz are Vions in the north, Chindrieux, Conjux and Saint- Pierre -de- Curtille in the east, the south and Lucey Lavours and Culoz in the West.

History

The territory of Chanaz was already inhabited during the Roman period. Is first mentioned in the 11th century Chanaz. The name goes back to the Old French word chaisne (oak). In the 13th and 14th centuries was the seat of a place Kastlanei the House of Savoy. Chanaz gained its significance as an important customs station on the water and land through the Rhône Valley.

Attractions

The parish church of Chanaz was built in the 19th century and has a rich interior, which dates from the previous building. Near the Rhône is the Romanesque chapel Orgeval. Chanaz has a medieval town center with numerous houses from the 15th and 16th centuries. The Town Hall, once a stately home built in the 16th century and remodeled in the 18th century. An oil mill dates from 1868. 's Former Gothic chapel of Notre -Dame de Miséricorde now houses the Musée Gallo -Romain, which displays finds that were discovered during excavations of a Roman settlement at Portout.

Population

With 506 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Chanaz is one of the small communities of the department of Savoie. After the population was declining in the first half of the 20th century, a significant population increase has been recorded since the mid-1970s again.

Economy and infrastructure

Chanaz was until well into the 20th century a predominantly coined by agriculture and retail village. Of particular importance is the vineyard on the slopes of Mont Landard. In addition, there are now several companies of local small businesses. Meanwhile, the village has developed into a residential community. Many workers are commuters who engage in the larger towns in the area, especially in the area of Aix -les- Bains and Chambery, their work. Thanks to its medieval character and able to Rhone and Canal de Savière benefited Chanaz from tourism.

The village is located off the major thoroughfares on a secondary road, leading from Yenne after Ruffieux. Further road links is with Chindrieux and Conjux. The nearest links to the A41 motorway is located at a distance of around 24 kilometers.