Châtel, Haute-Savoie

Châtel is a commune in the French department of Haute- Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region.

Geography

The summer and winter resort of Châtel is located at 1191 m above sea level. M., 30 km east-southeast of the town of Thonon -les- Bains ( straight line ). Former street village extends Chablais, at the far end of the Vallée d' Abondance in the ascent to the Pas de Morgins, about 100 m above the valley floor of the Dranse d' Abondance, in the northern Savoy Alps near the Swiss border (1,5 km as the crow flies).

The area of ​​32.19 km ² municipal area comprises the rearmost section of the Vallée d' Abondance. The valley describes the range of Châtel a sharp bend and turns of initially northeasterly direction to the northwest. It usually has a 300 m wide flat valley floor. In the east, the valley of the mountain range with Tête du Géant ( 2232 m above sea level. M. ) and Crête de Linge ( 2158 m above sea level. M. ), the Pas de Morgins ( 1369 m above sea level. M. ) and the Morclan (1970 m above sea level. M. ) flanked. To the west of the valley, the municipality's area covers the Mont de Grange, on the with 2433 m above sea. M. the highest elevation of Châtel is achieved. In the extreme south of the communal land reaches to the mountain pass Col du Bassachaux.

For Châtel include the hamlet settlements Vorraz La ( 1220 m above sea level. M. ) on the sunny slope north of the village, Vonnes (1240 m above sea level. M. ) at Lac de Vonnes and Villapeyron (1111 m above sea level. M. ) and Très les Pierres ( 1159 m above sea level. M. ) in the valley of the Dranse d' Abondance. Neighboring communities of Châtel are Abondance in the West, La Chapelle- d'Abondance in the north, the Swiss municipalities Vionnaz, Collombey, Chemex and Monthey in the east and in the south Montriond.

History

In the Middle Ages Châtel belonged first to rule Féternes. Later it shared the fate of the Vallée d' Abondance. In 1740 Châtel, which was previously part of La Chapelle- d'Abondance was elevated to an independent municipality.

Attractions

The village of Saint-Laurent church was built in the 19th century, during the rectory dates back to the 18th century. The old village center is characterized by the typical Chaletbauten. In the vicinity of Châtel, various chapels.

Population

With 1183 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Châtel one of the smaller towns in the Haute-Savoie region. In recent decades, a continuous strong growth of population was recorded. Since about 1990, the population is approximately constant.

Economy and infrastructure

Châtel was until well into the 20th century a predominantly coined by farming village. Meanwhile, the village has developed into a station for summer and winter sports with numerous tourist facilities. The slopes above Châtel (Super -Châtel ) and in the area of ​​chalets de Plaine Dranse are accessible by cable cars and ski lifts. This Châtel is part of the cross-border large winter sports area Portes du Soleil.

The village lies on the road D department 22, which runs from Thonon -les- Bains through the Vallée d' Abondance and the Pas de Morgins to Monthey in the canton of Valais.

Partnerships

Châtel has partnerships with

• Bœrsch in Alsace (France), since 1982
• Mont Tremblant in the province of Québec ( Canada ), since 1990
• Seraing in Wallonia ( Belgium), since 2002
• Vias in the Languedoc- Roussillon region (France), since 2004