Champagny-en-Vanoise
Champagny-en-Vanoise | |
|---|---|
An aerial view of Champagny-en-Vanoise | |
Location of Champagny-en-Vanoise | |
Champagny-en-Vanoise Champagny-en-Vanoise | |
| Coordinates: 45°27′19″N 6°41′36″E / 45.4553°N 6.6933°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Savoie |
| Arrondissement | Albertville |
| Canton | Moûtiers |
| Intercommunality | Val Vanoise |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | René Ruffier-Lanche[1] |
Area 1 | 84.96 km2 (32.80 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 545 |
| • Density | 6.4/km2 (17/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 73071 /73350 |
| Elevation | 960–3,855 m (3,150–12,648 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Champagny-en-Vanoise (French pronunciation: [ʃɑ̃paɲi ɑ̃ vanwaz], lit. 'Champagny in Vanoise'; Arpitan: Champègni) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is also known for the skiing and snow-boarding slopes.
History
The earliest person known to have inhabited the region of Champagny-en-Vanoise was in 2500 B.C. being uncovered in the Bozel Valley.[3][4]
In antiquity the Celtic Ceutron tribe occupied the valley until the Romans annexed it (1st century BCE). During the Middle Ages Champagny-en-Vanoise lay within the County (later Duchy) of Savoy and was part of the Tarentaise ecclesiastical territory. Local tradition even holds that Pope Innocent V (Pierre de Tarentaise, who died 1276) was born in the hamlet of Friburge. However, this is contested by many historians[5][6]
Originally called 'Champagny'
The present Church of Saint-Sigismond (in Champagny-le-Bas) dates from a Baroque rebuilding in 1683.[7] With this containing an elaborately carved altarpiece and “poutre de gloire” that are listed as historical monuments. Several small chapels also appear in local records from the 16th–17th centuries (e.g. the Friburge Notre-Dame-des-Grâces chapel mentioned in 1599)[8]
Over the early modern era Champagny-en-Vanoise remained a small agrarian community; its population peaked around 823 in 1848, before declining as industrialization elsewhere drew away the youth.[9]
Throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th, Champagny-en-Vanoise's economy was dominated by subsistence farming and alpine pasturing. Farmers grazed cows and sheep on high summer pastures and made local cheeses (especially Beaufort, of which Champagny-en-Vanoise has a small AOP production)[10]
A few villagers found work in nearby industries: for example, the Villard-du-Planay was a textile factory resorting to seasonal Alpine labor.[9]
The opening of nearby spa resorts (Brides-les-Bains and thermal baths at Peisey in the 1820s) brought occasional tourism traffic through Champagny.[4]
Champagny was annexed by France, taken from the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont-Sardinia) in 1860, becoming a commune of Savoie département.
In the 1950s–60s Champagny started building Ski resorts as to boost tourism in the area. In 1959 Champagny built its first ski lifts (the Nourgeval and Plan Roulant drag lifts) and opened a holiday camp (Joie et Soleil) A major turning point came in 1965, when Mayor Michel Renaud (in office 1959–77) held a referendum on joining the new La Plagne ski area. The vote passed, and that year lifts began construction on an experimental link: a chairlift to the high-altitude site of La Rossa and two surface tows (Grand Fond and Borseliers). In 1971 the definitive link to La Plagne opened: a faster chairlift connecting Champagny to the Nancroix Valley of La Plagne [9]
In 1970 the region's name was changed to 'Champagny-en-Vanoise' (English: Champagny in Vanois)
See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
- ^ "Local history : La Plagne creates your best memories". en.la-plagne.com. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ a b CHAMPAGNY-EN-VANOISE [CHAMPAGNY-EN-VANOISE] (PDF) (1st ed.). LYON Head Office 19 bis, Place Tolozan 69001: Terrésens Propriétés. 11 May 2021. p. 3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Demotz, Bernard (2000). Le Comté de Savoie du XIe au XVe siècle: pouvoir, château et Etat au Moyen âge. Genève: Slatkine. ISBN 978-2-05-101676-6.
- ^ Prieur, Jean; Vulliez, Hyacinthe (May 1999). Saints et saintes de Savoie (in French). La Fontaine de Siloë. ISBN 978-2-84206-465-5.
- ^ Hudry, Marius; Vidalie, Denis; Hugonnard, Louis; Déréani, David (2008). En Tarentaise: sur les chemins du baroque. Chambéry Montmélian: FACIM la Fontaine de Siloé. ISBN 978-2-84206-422-8.
- ^ "73071 - Champagny-en-Vanoise — Geneawiki". fr.geneawiki.com. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ a b c "The history of Champagny-en-Vanoise | Bienvenue à Champagny !" (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ "Champagny-en-Vanoise: A village resort that bustles with activities throughout the summer | MGM Constructeur". www.mgmfrenchproperties.com. Retrieved 2025-07-04.