An Annecy Stroll
It can start from the park of the Hôtel Impérial. A palace since its creation in 1913, it saw crowned heads, entertainment stars and politicians pass through its doors. Closed in 1965 due to a lack of profitability, it lay dormant for nearly 25 years. Restored as a conference centre, hotel, restaurant, casino and enchanting botanical garden, it now seems moored at the end of the lake for eternity.
Stroll along the esplanade that runs beside the lake, beneath plane trees dating from the Second Empire, then cross the Pâquier (or Champ de Mars). Despite a persistent but false legend, this land was not a gift from an old lady to the town on condition it be reserved for the public. In fact, for centuries these very damp fields were used to graze animals ("pacage" in local dialect, which gave rise to the name Pâquier). It was in the 17th century that a Count of Menthon gave a plot of land he owned here to the Annecy regiment, of which he was colonel, so it could be used for drills. Since then, elected officials never stopped acquiring plots as they became available, and that's how today's citizens now own these seven hectares of pure marvel.
A thought here, on this meadow, for Marguerite Frichet-Avet, 37, executed by firing squad on 18 May 1793, accused of instigating the uprising in Thônes — though it was above all the courage she showed in coming to the aid of the wounded that marked her out to the revolutionary enforcers.
It was also here that, on 25 June 1911, Swiss pilot Emile Taddeoli made the first attempt to take off in an aeroplane (the DUFAUX 5), but after just a few metres the plane plunged into the lake. The pilot was pulled out alive. He would die 9 years later, in another lake — Lake Constance.
At the dawn of the 19th century, a project for which its author had actually obtained the concession never saw the light of day: he had the good idea (one might say) of dying. Otherwise, we would have had at this spot a gigantic hotel, a racecourse, a casino and a tramway…
A small iron bridge spans the Vassé canal and bears the name "Pont des Amours" (Lovers' Bridge). Why? A meeting place for lovers, or, less romantically, once a spot for the world's oldest profession? A mystery! In any case, it leads to the Jardins de l'Europe, known in the Middle Ages as the Prés Lombards, an island outside the ramparts later joined to the town through successive landfill. The new name dates from around 1860, after the land was drained, landscaped and planted with around 1,200 trees. The statue of Berthollet was brought here on this occasion, and still stands today — our great scientist born in Talloires, companion of Bonaparte in Egypt, later made a count by the Emperor. The walk continues along the Quai Napoléon III, named in memory of the sovereigns' visit when Savoy was annexed to France.
Opposite, we arrive at Place aux Bois. This is where firewood and building timber from the forests around the lake used to arrive by boat. At its centre stands, in front of the convent of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, the statue of Saint Francis de Sales. A few metres away is the building (still visible today) that housed the first Order of the Visitation, which he founded together with Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, where they remained until 1610.
Then cross the bridge and, on the left, take the Quai du Semnoz. Along it stands the beautiful church known as "des Italiens". From 1610 until the Revolution, it was the seat of the Order of the Visitation and held the relics of its founding saints. These were hidden at Duingt Castle during the turmoil of the Revolution. Today they rest permanently at the Basilica of the Visitation, which overlooks the town. Pope John Paul II came to pray there on 7 October 1986.
Along the Thiou canal, you can still make out the spot where the women of Annecy once came to wash their laundry.
You then cross the bridge facing the Palais de l'Île, perhaps the most photographed and painted site in Annecy. Yet it owes its survival only to a lack of municipal funds to finance its demolition in the 19th century. Built roughly nine hundred years ago, it served in turn as a prison, a mint, a princely residence, a barracks, a grain store and a retirement home. Today, it's a cultural space.
Next, enter Rue Perrière. You'll pass one of the four gates that once closed off the town in ancient times. You are now truly in the old town, nestled at the foot of the castle.
Today, restaurants and small shops line the street. You'll come out onto Place des Éflèches, at the foot of a ramp leading up to the castle. An old fountain was installed there in the 1960s during the old town's renovation works.
Continuing on, you reach Rue de l'Île, lined with arcades. Halfway along, you'll pass a fountain that has been in use since the 15th century. It's on this street, and the next one, Rue Sainte-Claire, that the market has been held every Tuesday for 850 years. The widest and main thoroughfare of the old town, it leads to Place de la Manufacture. Under the First Empire, 1,400 workers used to work cotton here. At the far end stands the Porte Sainte-Claire, through which one left the town heading toward Chambéry.
A little before that, a narrow street, Côte Saint-Maurice, leads up to Annecy Castle, which is well worth a visit.
At the far end of the Semnoz, perched on its last rocky spur overlooking the town and the lake, this stone sentinel watches the horizon. The site is so strategic that it seems impossible it was not occupied for as long as people have lived in the Annecy basin.
But the oldest written records of the castle date back to the 13th century. Attacked, plundered and burned, it went through all the trials of a stronghold. Louis XIII himself came in person to lay siege to it. The last battles there took place in 1814.
Head back down via the castle ramp and you'll find yourself again at Place des Éflèches. Facing you, slightly to the right, take the Passage de l'Île. You'll pass the entrance to the old prisons and come out onto Quai de l'Évêché. Follow it toward the Ponts Morens. Walk along Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, past the house of Madame de Warens, his muse. You won't quite have enough distance to properly admire the Renaissance-era Cathédrale Saint-Pierre. Turn left to cross the Bishop's Gardens. You'll come out onto Rue Royale, and won't want to miss sitting on the edge of Saint-Jean's well, which, after being stored away in Sévrier for 175 years, was returned to its rightful place in 1976. Taking the street to the right, you'll arrive at the square of the Notre-Dame church.
In the 17th century, the Holy Shroud was displayed there for a time; before it, Françoise de Sionnaz, who had been unable to have children, came to ask for God's help. The following year, in 1567, she gave birth to a son who would become Saint Francis de Sales. The church was almost entirely destroyed in 1793 during the turmoil of the Revolution (only the bell tower survived, without its spire), then rebuilt between 1846 and 1851.
To the left of the church stands a small, narrow building attached to it: the former town hall of Annecy. In front of its entrance is a wrought-iron balcony, with a rarity at its centre: a fish, the town's emblem.
Pass under the archway, go up Rue Filaterie, then turn left onto Rue Grenette, and you'll reach Saint Maurice's Church, the oldest in Annecy.
Pass to its left along the Vassé canal and you'll return to Place de la Mairie, built in 1848 in the Sardinian architectural style.
That concludes a quick overview of Annecy's past through a visit to its old town. While Annecy today is a town firmly looking to the future, let's spare an admiring thought for the people who, throughout the 20th century, knew they held a true treasure as their heritage. They gave tirelessly of themselves to protect it, often from destruction, to maintain it, and to pass it on to us. May they be deeply thanked for it.
Text by Christian Sbaffo