Vallorcine

Vallorcine is a municipality in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.

Vallorcine
Commune
View of the cross of Loriaz on the heights of Vallorcine
Location of Vallorcine
Vallorcine
Vallorcine
Coordinates: 46°02′07″N 6°56′02″E
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentHaute-Savoie
ArrondissementBonneville
CantonLe Mont-Blanc
IntercommunalitySIVOM Mont Blanc
Government
 • Mayor (2014-2020) Jérémy Vallas
Area
1
44.57 km2 (17.21 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
400
 • Density9.0/km2 (23/sq mi)
 • Urban
60,234
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
74290 /74660
Elevation1,120–3,098 m (3,675–10,164 ft)
WebsiteVallorcine.com
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Description

Vallorcine is located in the Valley of the L'Eau Noire between the Col des Montets and the Swiss border.

It is the terminus of the Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway on the route between St Gervais des Bains in France and Martigny in Switzerland, and is served by a railway station where passengers must change between French and Swiss trains. In the Swiss direction the line continues to Chatelard where it joins the Martigny–Châtelard Railway which is partially rack-operated.

There is a small museum at Barberine next to the Swiss border and there is a tourist information office and a post office near the railway station.

Le Buet

Within the community is the small settlement of Le Buet, which also has its own railway station, and is the location of the spectacular Cascade de Berard, which has a viewing gallery that enters the gorge of the main waterfall. Further up this valley is the Red Needles National Park, and the National Nature Reserve of Berard.

A Z 800 trainset at Le Buet.

Skiing

The community was transformed in 2004 with the construction of a high-speed gondola lift which allowed access to the established Domaine de Balme and La Tour ski areas. This gave rise to the construction of a selection of restaurants and ski accommodation.[2]

The Émosson Dam

Although the Émosson Dam for hydroelectric power generation.is physically just over the Swiss border, water from the reservoir crosses the border to first power the 189 MW Vallorcine Power Station just over the border in Vallorcine. Water is then sent through a headrace tunnel to the 162 MW La Bâtiaz Power Station, 12 km (7 mi) to the east in Martigny, Switzerland. The drop between the dam and La Bâtiaz Power Station is 1,400 m (4,593 ft).[3]

Demography
Historical population of Vallorcine
(Source: Insee[4])
Year19621968197519821990199920062007
Population271314283303329390413416
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.
1999: Provisional population (annual survey).

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. "Vallorcine Chamonix Mont-Blanc, Haute-Savoie, French Alps". Mountain Passions. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  3. "Électricité Émosson SA" (in French). Electricity of Émosson. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  4. INSEE
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