Albertville
Encyclopedia
Albertville is a commune
in the Savoie
department in the Rhône-Alpes
region
in south-eastern France
.
The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics
.
River, close to the confluence with the Isère River
. Its altitude is between 345 and 2037 m (1,131.9 and 6,683.1 ).
Nearby mountain
s include: Belle Etoile, Dent de Cons, Négresse, Roche Pourrie, Mirantin, Pointe de la Grande Journée, and chaîne du Grand Arc.
Nearby mountain ranges include: the Bauges
; the Beaufortain; and the beginning of the Vanoise
.
Albertville was founded in 1836 by the Sardinian king Charles Albert
. It also consists of the medieval town of Conflans, which has buildings dating back to the 14th century.
Since then, Albertville has developed trade between France
, Italy
, and Switzerland
; and industries such as paper mills and hydroelectricity
can be found on its river.
The 1992 Winter Olympics
were organised in the Savoie region, with Albertville hosting it. Some of the sports venues were later adapted for other uses. Some sports venues still remain such as the ice rink
designed by the architect Jacques Kalisz, although the town is more industrial than touristic.
In 2003, the town was labelled a "Town of art and history".
(Baden-Württemberg
) Sainte-Adèle, Quebec
Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
, which like Albertville, hosted a Winter Olympics, doing so in 2010
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
department in the Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in south-eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
.
Geography
Albertville is situated on the ArlyArly
This article is about a river in France. For the national park in Africa, see Arli National ParkArly is a 35 km long river of France. It is a right tributary of the Isère River, which it joins in Albertville.-Towns crossed by the river:* Megève...
River, close to the confluence with the Isère River
Isère River
The Isère is a 286 km long river in southeastern France, in the Rhône-Alpes région. Its source is in the Alps on the border with Italy, near the ski resort Val d'Isère. It flows into the Rhône River in Pont-de-l'Isère, a few km north of Valence...
. Its altitude is between 345 and 2037 m (1,131.9 and 6,683.1 ).
Nearby mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s include: Belle Etoile, Dent de Cons, Négresse, Roche Pourrie, Mirantin, Pointe de la Grande Journée, and chaîne du Grand Arc.
Nearby mountain ranges include: the Bauges
Bauges
The Bauges Mountains is a mountain range in eastern France, stretching from the city of Annecy to the city of Chambéry, which is part of the French Prealps.- Major peaks :The Bauges have 14 summits above :...
; the Beaufortain; and the beginning of the Vanoise
Vanoise
Vanoise may refer to:# Vanoise National Park in France# Vanoise Express, a cable car line# Vanoise Massif, a sub-group of the Graian Alps in France...
.
History
Charles Albert of Sardinia
Charles Albert was the King of Piedmont-Sardinia from 1831 to 1849. He succeeded his distant cousin Charles Felix, and his name is bound with the first Italian statute and the First War of Independence...
. It also consists of the medieval town of Conflans, which has buildings dating back to the 14th century.
Since then, Albertville has developed trade between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
; and industries such as paper mills and hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
can be found on its river.
The 1992 Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
were organised in the Savoie region, with Albertville hosting it. Some of the sports venues were later adapted for other uses. Some sports venues still remain such as the ice rink
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
designed by the architect Jacques Kalisz, although the town is more industrial than touristic.
In 2003, the town was labelled a "Town of art and history".
Sister cities
WinnendenWinnenden
Winnenden is a small town in the Rems-Murr district of the Stuttgart Region in Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany. It lies in a wine-growing area approx. northeast of Stuttgart and has a population of less than 28,000...
(Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
) Sainte-Adèle, Quebec
Sainte-Adèle, Quebec
Sainte-Adèle is a municipality in Quebec, Canada, and is part of the Les Pays-d'en-Haut Regional County Municipality. It lies on the Route 117 about north-west of Montreal. Its tourism-based economy centres on its skiing and hotel industry...
Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, which like Albertville, hosted a Winter Olympics, doing so in 2010
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
.
External links
- City council website
- Tourism webpage about Albertville (in French)
- Tourism webpage about Albertville(in English)