Cohennoz

Cohennoz is a commune of 150 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Savoie in the Rhone -Alpes.

Geography

Cohennoz is located in the western Alps in the valley of Arly, about 56 km southeast of the city of Geneva and 49 km north-east of the associated Chambery Prefecture (both in a straight line ). The neighboring municipalities are (starting from the north clockwise ) Crest -Voland, Hauteluce, Villard -sur -Doron and Ugine.

The village is located at about 910 m in a steep slope of Mont Bisanne, a 1941 m high mountain at the edge of the Massif du Beaufortain. Below the village lies the slope together with the opposite Mont Charvin the gorge of the Arly, the river bed at the same time marks the western boundary of the parish Cohennoz. The municipality covers about six kilometers of the Arly valley on its eastern side and only protrudes slightly into the Massif du beaufortain so that the running of the Mont Bisanne Summit eastern border also marks the highest point of the municipality.

The village center is only a few houses and the parish church. Instead, the hamlet of Le Cernix which with the neighboring village of Crest- Voland shares the Talschulter of Mont Lachat and access to winter sports area offers significantly more developed. Les Chandelières is another hamlet half way between Cohennoz and Le Cernix. The municipal area is almost entirely forested except for the immediate vicinity of the houses and the ski slopes above Le Cernix.

Population

With 150 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Cohennoz is one of the smallest municipalities of Savoy. The continuous rural exodus and emigration during the 19th and 20th century met Cohennoz particularly difficult and reduced its population by more than a factor of four. Only the Alpine tourism again offered enough opportunities to reverse this trend.

History

The place name is first mentioned in the 16th century as Cuennoz and probably goes back to the Germanic name Kuno. At this time Cohennoz belonged to the parish Héry -sur- Ugine on the opposite side of the Arly Valley. In 1766 Cohennoz attained the status of an independent parish on the grounds that the way to the parish church of Héry was too long and difficult. Then began in 1781 to build its own parish church, was chosen for the St. Peter ad Vincula as patronage. The independence as a municipality was maintained during the French Revolution. Due to its particularly inaccessible in comparison with other municipalities received Cohennoz position until 1929 have access to electricity supply. The first ski lifts were installed along with the neighboring village of Crest- Voland 1951.

Culture and sights

The slopes above Cohennoz are a destination for hiking and winter sports. The church of Saint -Pierre -aux -Liens in place dates back to the 1781. It is a one-nave, outwardly simple design structure, the interior of which is decorated in Baroque style. In the village there is also a Écomusée, that is, a museum that presents the cultural heritage and identity of the place as a whole. It shows everyday objects, figures and representatives of the local fauna and flora.

Economy and infrastructure

In Cohennoz only a few companies and public institutions are active; relevant for the tourism share of second homes is at 88% (as of 2009 ), however, is particularly high.

Traffic

The mean Arly Valley is located off the main regional roads and railway lines. The D71 opens Cohennoz and connects it with the neighboring communities and Ugine Crest-Voland, where the road runs along several hundred meters above the river parallel to the valley. At the bottom of the valley below the village the D1212 (originally National Road 212) with the Isère valley and Albertville connects the Arve Valley Megève in the north to the south and is connected in Ugine and Crest-Voland with the D71 runs.

The next possible motorway, the A430 (exit Albertville, 21 km) and the A40 (exits n ° 20 to 22, about 35 km away). The SNCF train station of Albertville is suitable to achieve Cohennoz ( Cernix ) by a bus service. As airports in the region come Geneva ( 89 km), Chambery (80 miles) and Lyon-St -Exupéry (150 km) in question.