Thonon-les-Bains is a French commune located in the department of Haute-Savoie (of which it is a sub-prefecture), in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Thonon-les-Bains is a spa town pleasantly situated on the edge of the Lake Geneva. Its privileged geographical position, on a plateau adjoining the Alpine mountains, close to Switzerland, and its rich historical and natural heritage make Thonon-les-Bains a step of choice.
Historical capital of the small Savoyard province of Chablais, the town of Thonon is divided into two very distinct parts ː The upper town with its belvederes located near the Chablais museum and the funicular terminus with a town center crisscrossed by streets that have essentially become pedestrianized with its small houses and buildings of low or medium heights and where there are many historic places, including religious buildings and the lower town, on the shores of Lake Geneva and whose port of Rives is the central point with his old fishing village.
The part of the Thononese agglomeration extending and whose limits are fixed by the bypass ring road presents a rather heterogeneous architectural ensemble, composed mainly of villas of modest size, a few rare rural houses, as well as many bars of buildings. with more or less varied size and height.
History
After a brief Swiss occupation in the 16th century, Thonon-les-Bains returned to Savoy until the French Revolution where it was included in the department of Mont-Blanc then in that of Leman. But it became Savoyard in 1814 before finally reintegrating France in 1860. Capital of the natural and historical region of the French Chablais, the city has grown significantly since the Second World War, from 13,000 inhabitants in 1946 to nearly 36,000 today. Thermalism, tourism and tertiary activities explain this development, while agriculture and fishing were long the traditional activities of this fortified town in the duchy of Savoy (to which the town belonged from the eleventh century), which was said to be ” the garden”.
Prehistoric and Roman times
According to mythology, the city was founded by an ancient Germanic tribe who took part in the massacre of the Romans in the Black Forest. At the edge of Lake Geneva, at the bypass road facilities of the city in 2004, a necropolis from the Neolithic means “type Chamblande” has been updated in the locality Genevray. The site has uncovered 220 graves, dated between 3300 and 4800 years BP, is the middle of the V millennium to the end of the IV millennium.
Thonon-les-Bains is built on a site occupied at least since the Neolithic era: ceramic shards, stone tools and piles were found in 1989 at the port of Rives. These stilts were dated from the years 3094 to 3049 BC. J.-C. Proto-historical tombs from the Late Bronze Age were discovered west of Thonon, locality Letroz, in the 1980s. One of them contained a pin and a razor.
In -121, the Allobroges were defeated by the Romans and their territory was integrated into the Empire. The Latin name of the city of Thonon remains unknown, but many vestiges have been discovered from the 1960s thanks to the work of Jean-Claude Perillat and Jean-Pierre Mudry, both professors of History. With a few students, they carried out numerous excavations which provided information on the layout of the Roman city and the activities of the inhabitants. In the Ursules district, excavations have revealed the presence of dwellings, one of which was to be decorated with a mosaic and have private baths. This site also delivered a number of everyday objects: make-up palette, coins, a bronze statuette of the god Mars, bone pins and needles. A set of potters’ workshops was located to the west of these dwellings, of which eight kilns were excavated. Many ceramics have been found there: common ceramics and fine ceramics. These latter are quite original and characterize the production of Thonon by their shapes and their decorations, mainly plants and animals. Imitations of sigillated ceramic(clay-coated) have also been discovered.
About ten necropolises, dating from the second and fourth centuries, have been excavated in Thonon. Burials are the majority unlike cremations (only three finds). Other tombs have been found isolated. Finally, several villae are known in the countryside near the vicus: one in the hamlet of Concise known by an epitaph and surveys carried out in 1997), one in Vongy (known by remains of tegulae), one in Tully (known by the discovery of a monetary treasury in 1875), one in Ripaille(known by excavations carried out in 1902 which restored the ground plan), one at Rives (known by the creation of the port in 1861) and one supposed at Morcy.
Feudal period
Little known for the early Middle Ages, its history is well documented from 1270, due to the conservation of the châtellenie accounts of the castles of Allinges, in whose jurisdiction the village was located before becoming in 1288 the seat of the chatellenie of Allinges-Thonon, supplanting Allinges-Neuf in this role. A middle class is attested from the middle of the XIII century and the village (some hundreds of lights) is surrounded by walls towards the end of the century, including the suburb of Rives to 1290. In 1266, Count Pierre II of Savoy (1203- 1268) granted the town its first municipal franchises in 1265-1266. His brother and successor, Philip I confirms and increases the1 December 1268 and 1279. Count Amédée V completes them, as does his son and successor Édouard.
Stakes in the struggles between the Counts of Savoy and the Viennese dolphins until 1343, Thonon then became one of the favorite residences of the House of Savoy and attracted many local and foreign immigrants (Italians, Germans, etc.). The castle, originally fortress and prison was razed and rebuilt around 1410, became a pleasure residence with beautiful gardens and luxurious home, more comfortable than the simple hunting lodge Ripaille, built in the XIV century to the mouth of the Dranse; the term “ripaille” synonymous in the French language of successful festivals precedes in time the name of the castle which comes rather from the term “rispe”, broussailles.
Several dignitaries of the court of Savoy had private mansions built around the castle (Revo family), hotels and commerce developed. In 1433, Duke Amédée VIII of Savoy acquired and subdivided the Vallon vineyard, adjacent to the city walls, and whose “chaseaux” (plots to be built) were acquired by the main families of the local bourgeoisie (current Vallon district). It also promotes the renovation of public facilities: mills, ovens, hall, water supply. Thonon remains city court until the end of the XV century, despite the presence of more and more prevalent of a popular protest attested by heresy or witchcraft, cruelly pursued from 1475, and by emigration to Geneva.
In the XIV and XV centuries, the manor of Allinges Thonon is traditionally part of the dowry of the Countess and Duchess of Savoy. Three of them were particularly associated their name to the area, Bonne of Bourbon, wife of Amadeus VI of Savoy, Mary of Burgundy, wife of Amadeus VIII of Savoy and Anne de Lusignan, wife of Louis I of Savoy. From 1536 to 1567 the city was under Bernese administration. By the Lausanne Treaty ofOctober 30, 1564, the Republic of Bern returned to the Duke of Savoy the bailiwick of Thonon, among other possessions. In 1569, with the Treaty of Thonon, the Valaisans returned to Savoy the bailiwicks of Evian, the country of Gavot and Saint-Jean d’Aulps under their domination since 1536.
The July 23, 1724, Princess Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg marries Thonon Charles-Emmanuel of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont, eldest son of King Victor Amédée II of Sardinia and Anne-Marie d’Orléans.
Integration with France
Thonon-les-Bains was the sub-prefecture of the district of Thonon in the former department of Léman. During the debates on the future of the Duchy of Savoy in 1860, the population was sensitive to the idea of a union of the northern part of the Duchy with Switzerland. A petition is circulating in this part of the country (Chablais, Faucigny, Nord du Genevois) and brings together more than 13,600 signatures, including 280 for Thonon, according to the Manifestes et declarations de la Savoie du Nord (1860), the historian Paul Guichonnet (1982) gives 48 signatures. The duchy is reunited following a plebiscite organized on April 22 and 23, 1860 where 99.8% of Savoyards answer “yes” to the question “Does Savoy want to be reunited with France? “. The absence of “no” ballots explains the result of the ballot.
Tourism
A tour of the city can begin with the old center that crosses the Main Street. Several religious buildings are worth seeing, such as the church of Saint-Hippolyte, the oldest in the town (12th century), typical of the Baroque style of the region, the chapel Saint Bon, backed by a medieval rampart. The chapel of the former convent of the Visitation. More contemporary, dating from the beginning of the 20th century, the Saint-François-de-Sales Basilica adjoins the Saint-Hippolyte church and is worth its frescoes by Maurice Denis. Finally, in the district of Vongy, the Church of Our Lady of Leman (1935) houses an immense mosaic representing Notre-Dame du Léman and a typical boat with cross sails.
Several castles are also remarkable. Erected in the 17th century on the ruins of the old medieval castle, the castle of Sonnaz belonged to one of the oldest families of Savoy. It now houses the Tourist Office and the Chablais Museum. More contemporary, the castle of Montjoux dates from 1930. The castle Ripaille on its domain of 120 hectares in edge of lake which is impossible to circumvent. Formerly a monastery, this castle with four towers from the 15th century restored in the 19th century has vineyards and wooded areas. It is a place of history and change of scenery. Rooms are dedicated to the history of the site and the region.
The port area with the old fishing village, Rives, is to be seen. Its medieval houses are surrounded by astonishing monuments such as the Tower of the Langues (13th century), where butchers paid their taxes by depositing the language of the beef slaughtered…
In addition, Thonon-les-Bains is one of the municipalities belonging to the Geo Park of Chablais, labeled UNESCO, which links exceptional landscapes and sites.
Historical heritage
Port de Rives
The port of Rives is the marina of the city of Thonon-les-Bains, it is also a very popular place to walk. At the port is the ecomuseum of fishing and Lake Geneva, dedicated to fishing on Lake Geneva, it is in fishermen’s huts, preserved and rehabilitated. The fishing village was built in 1987 by a quay, as an extension of the creation of the landing stage.
The port funicular connects the port of Rives to the upper town, built on a plateau overlooking Lake Geneva. It was built in 1888. 230 m long for a 40 m drop, its route is curved.
Also present in the Rives district, the tower of languages which still dominates the village of fishermen, was built in the XII century. It is here that the butchers came to pay their tax to the lord, thus depositing the tongues of the oxen or cows they slaughtered.
Town hall
Long ago, members of municipal authorities undoubtedly met in a fortified house at the bottom of the town. In 1536, the Bernese (Switzerland) conquered not only the Pays de Vaud, but also the left bank of Lake Geneva. They had a real official building built in Thonon, destroyed much later by an accidental fire in 1815. A reconstruction project by the Sardinian engineer Giuseppe Mazzone was accepted in 1822, but the following year Carlo Randoni, architect to the king of Sardinia, draws up an unfavorable report. We finally turn to the Vaud architect Henri Perregaux, from Lausanne, to ask him for a new project. It takes up and develops the ideas of its predecessors (certainly also corresponding to the will of the owner), namely the principle of a building largely open to arcades on the ground floor, with an interior courtyard leading to a additional lighting.
In 1823, the works were awarded to another Swiss, the Ticino Charles Pellegrini, domiciled in Chambéry. But, due to financing difficulties, it will take almost ten years before the site is fully completed. The operations are carried out in stages, which does not go without modifications during the work. The recognition of the works, in the presence of Perregaux, took place on October 10, 1830. This architect, who moreover hardly worked outside the Swiss borders, carried out other neoclassical town halls in Morges and Moudon, but the town hall of Thonon is undoubtedly one of his most ambitious works. This building, of a simple style, but of very studied proportions, is entirely openwork with semicircular arches on the ground floor and has two floors illuminated by rectangular windows. An axial fore-body, on three axes of openings, includes a balcony with sober ironwork, as well as an emblazoned pediment.
Ripaille Castle
A major historical, cultural and wine-growing site in Haute-Savoie, the Château de Ripaille is also one of the largest and most remarkable natural sites on the shores of Lake Geneva. The castle of Ripaille is a pleasure palace of the XV century located in an area on the edge of Lake Geneva.
In this castle, the Duke of Savoy Amédée VIII welcomed Pope Eugene IV around 1440. Shortly after this visit, the Duke of Savoy became pope under the name of Felix V, although his election was not recognized by the majority of the Catholic Church. Its supposed miter is kept in the treasury of the abbey of Saint-Maurice d’Agaune. Formerly semi-religious retreat of the first Duke of Savoy, Amédée VIII, in the 17th and 18th centuries, Carthusian convent, protected from the “century” by the high wall which still surrounds it. In 1900 owned by a great industrialist. esthete, Ripaille has always been a place where residents and visitors come to “recharge their batteries”.
The estate preserves a forest of 53 hectares, an arboretum composed of 58 different species and a wine estate, classified among theAOC Savoie wine. Within the forest park, a monument to the Righteous was inaugurated in 1997.
Chateau de Sonnaz
The castle of Sonnaz is a residence belonging to the noble family Gerbaix de Sonnaz which was built in 1666 on the ruins of the old castle of Thonon. The latter was built in the XV century by Mary of Burgundy wife of the Duke of Savoy Amadeus VIII, then yielded to Gerbaix family Sonnaz.
The Château de Sonnaz rises in the city center of Thonon, near the Town Hall, with a breathtaking view of Lake Geneva, Switzerland and the Jura chain. After the dismantling of the fortified castle of Thonon (built by Marie de Bourgogne, wife of Amédée VIII), in the 16th century, the ruins were ceded to the Gerbaix family of Sonnaz: it is on the remains of the fortifications that the beautiful remains the Château de Sonnaz. This is where the sovereigns of Sardinia most often resided when they came to Chablais…
Having become the property of the City of Thonon, the castle has known different uses: alternately a meeting place for associations, a court… It now houses the Chablais Museum and its collections, as well as, since October 2008, the Office of Tourism in Thonon-les-Bains.
The Tower of Languages
The Rives district appeared in the 14th century. At the time, the “Tower of Languages” was also built, which dominates the fishing village. This is where the butchers came to pay their tax to the lord: the tongues of the oxen they slaughtered…
Maison Guillet de Monthoux and rue Chante-Coq
The Château des Guillet-Monthoux, a former château whose facade, elevation and staircase are listed as a historic monument, located rue Chante-Coq, once belonging to the powerful Guillet de Monthoux family, whose arms still adorn the facade today… Even older is the Guillet de Monthoux house, located in this same street, since its construction dates from 1480. Its door is surmounted by the family coat of arms: three crowned leopard heads. In the basement, there would once have been a door leading to an underground passage which allowed access to the town’s castle on horseback.
The first Guillet de Monthoux established in Thonon in the 15th century, Pierre, was cupbearer (officer in charge of serving a drink to an important person) of Duke Louis of Savoy. In the 19th century, this family died out with the successive disappearances of the four young ladies of Guillet, daughters of General Othon Laurent. Long before the construction of the convent of the Visitation in the 17th century, this street ended in a cramped field called “Corre” or “Court”. From “champ Court”, the name became “Chancot”, then “Chante-Coq” in the 19th century. The current facade of the Guillet de Monthoux house is the result of work carried out during the renovation of rue Chante-Coq during the 1990s.
Château Saint-Michel d’Avully
Located in the Lake Geneva basin, in Chablais, between Thonon and Annemasse, the castle extends over a private 15 hectare domain on the mountainside. Listed as a Historic Monument, it has been magnificently restored and has regained all its medieval cachet. Built on an old Gallo-Roman site from the 12th century by the Avully family, the castle was fortified in the 14th century by order of the Count of Savoy. At the end of the 15th century, it was sold to the family of Saint-Michel, from Geneva, which gave it its final appearance. Bought in the 18th century by the family of Saint François de Sales, it then suffered the damage of the French Revolution, before falling into ruins and sinking into oblivion for nearly two centuries. The building today looks great and invites you to discover its gardens, its poultry yard, its water moats, as well as its magnificent rooms decorated with murals which will tell you about life in the Middle Ages and the history of the States of Savoy (museum).
The plasterer of Armoy
In 1844, Baron Saladin de Lubière was behind the creation of the plasterer of Armoy. It was one of the largest in France, producing more than 100,000 quintals of plaster and bringing together more than a hundred employees. On the edge of the departmental road 902, shortly after the Pont de la Douce in the direction of Morzine, you can stop on the side of the road and cross an iron bridge over the Dranse.
On your left you have a rather surprising view: a large brick fireplace and in the background a stone building colonized by trees: these ruins are all that remains of the old plasterwork of Armoy. This functioned from 1844 to 1934; a small canal, the layout of which is still distinct, is dug along the Dranse in order to supply a paddle wheel which itself drives three pieces of furniture used to crush the gypsum ore. A grinding which takes place after cooking in 8 wood and coke ovens. Their locations and even the hinges of their doors are still visible too. The paddle wheel, however, has disappeared. The plaster thus produced was initially transported by a small railroad to Vongy, before being loaded onto the boats on Lake Geneva. The construction of the Bioge road in 1854 put an end to rail transport. From this date, the production is transported by horse-drawn carriages to the Château de Montjoux, before being embarked, towards Geneva.
Faced with competition from other plasterers, it closed its doors in 1934 before in 1975, the municipality of Armoy finally bought the site at Platrières de l’Est.
Other castles
the Château de Thonon. The castle became the seat of the châtellenie des Allinges-Neuf from 1288, when the first castle was built in the northeast corner of the enclosure, before becoming an autonomous châtellenie in 1570. A second castle was rebuilt on the ancient citadel by Countess Marie de Bourgogne, who resides there regularly from 1406, and which was destroyed in the XVI century by the Geneva Reformed (February 17, 1591)
the castle Thuyset, stronghold of the XV century, set in the old closed the Choyset, hence its name. Center of a seigneury under the castle of Thonon. It belongs to Choyset successively and in Allinges, the Thorens (late XV century), then the Foras marriage in 1688.
the Château de Rives, located in the district of Rives.
the castle of Bellegarde or Maison-Haute. Located to the left of the town hall, behind the Porte des Lombards, the only gate that remains today, the castle was built on the edge of the ramparts and has a square tower. The old courthouse, a neighboring house, is decorated with wooden friezes carved with saucy figures representing the seven deadly sins.
the stronghold of Marclaz, located southwest of the city. Belonging to the family of Ravez, it becomes in 1515 by marriage, the property of the two Vidonne branches, illustrious families of Geneva. After various name changes, always by marriage, he was sold to Baron de Chanteau for his daughter married to Count Max de Foras. Today, it is gradually falling into ruin. It is a rectangular building with beautiful windows. In the center is the round tower with a spiral staircase.
Religious heritage
The Basilica of Saint Francis de Sales
This majestic religious building was completed at the beginning of the 20th century. Maurice Denis painted his last works there, the vaults and stained glass windows are really worth a visit. The Church of Saint Hippolyte, a Siamese good sister, shares the same bell tower, only its baroque style allows you to know where one begins and the other ends.
Other religious buildings
the church of Saint-Hippolyte, impasse St. Francis, originally from the XII century, is built above a crypt Romanesque to the XIV century. It was rebuilt in the XVII century in style Savoyard Baroque and its decorations and frescoes are exuberant. The church became a papal chapel in 1439, was used as a Protestant temple during the Bernese invasion in 1536, and again welcomed Catholic worship in 1594 under the influence of Saint Francis de Sales. The monument is classified as a historical monument. Restoration work was carried out in 2009and 2010;
the Basilica of Saint Francis de Sales, impasse St. Francis de Sales, was built next to the church of Saint-Hippolyte, at the end of the XIX century and early XX century;
the Notre-Dame-du-Léman church, route d’Évian, in the Vongy district, built by the architect Maurice Novarina. An immense mosaic representing Notre Dame du Léman dominates the choir of the church;
the Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes church, avenue de genève, in the district of Grangette, built by the architect Maurice Novarina;
the Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal church, route de Tully, built by the architect Claude Marin between 1965 and 1967 has a steeple built in 1975;
the chapel of the Visitation, former chapel of the convent of the Visitation, rue des Granges, is now devoted to contemporary art exhibitions;
the Saint-Bon chapel, avenue de Léman, (its existence is cited from 1299), near which Saint François de Sales is said to have performed his first miracle (the resurrection of a child who died without baptism);
the Chapel of St. Sebastian, instead of the Concise Fountain, which is mentioned the existence at the end of XIII century was rebuilt on the order of St. Francis de Sales. One can admire a fresco of the XIV century depicting the beheading of John the Baptist? Listed as a Historic Monument in 2015;
the St. Francis Chapel of Sales, Evian Vongy Street, was built in the XVII century on the site of the chapel of the XIII century. It is near the Notre-Dame-du-Léman church;
the Saint-Etienne, Tully Road Tully built in the XIII century and rebuilt in 1681 is dedicated to St. Stephen;
the so-called Sainte-Famille chapel on rue du Lac de Corzent was built between 1626 and 1644 under the name of the Jesus-Marie-Joseph chapel;
Chapel Rives Avenue du Général Leclerc (Chapel St. Peter -and St. Paul) was built in the late XIX century by the Counts of Sonnaz;
the chapel of the monastery of the Visitation, route de la Visitation in the district of Marclaz and created by Maurice Novarina in 1968. This convent cannot be visited;
the Chapel of the Capuchins, rue des Allinges.
the chapel of the institution of the Sacred Heart, place de Crête.
the chapel of the Saint-Joseph-Saint-François school, avenue du Léman de Concise.
the chapel of the Lycée des Vallées, avenue de l’Ermitage.
the chapel of the Sisters of Charity monastery, Chemin de la Fléchère de Concise.
the reformed temple, avenue d’Évian, built in 1907 by the Geneva architect Pierre Fatio, in a “picturesque village” style (heimatstil)
the Evangelical Baptist Church, avenue d’Évian.
the evangelical assembly church, impasse du Clos Brûlé.
the evangelical church E.Elim, route de Tully.
the Don-Bosco chapel designed by Maurice Novarina, inaugurated in 1945, is located near the Etoile shopping center;
the chapel of the Georges-Pianta hospital designed by Maurice Novarina inaugurated in 1970;
Cultural Space
In Thonon-les-Bains, there are two theaters, the Maurice-Novarina space, formerly MAL (Maison des Arts et Loisirs) and the theater of the Maison des jeunes et de la culture. The city co-finances the Thonon-Events association which organizes festive events throughout the year, notably Les fondus du macadam in August and Thonon makes its Cirk in December. The main municipal library and the media library are located in the former convent of the Visitation.
A heritage space dedicated to contemporary art and its awareness, the “Chapel of the Visitation” offers a program aimed at questioning the modes of expression explored by today’s artists. Some names of artists presented, among the most famous: Erro, Jacques Villeglé, Roman Opalka, Robert Combas and Ladislas Kijno …
Find within the former convent of the visitation, a cultural center bringing together knowledge, music and contemporary art: The media library, the chapel – contemporary art space, the music and dance school of Thonon and the Chablaisian harmony of Thonon-les-Bains and Lake Geneva, the Chablaisian academy, the Amédée choir, the folk group Sabaudia, the Friends of Eberbach, the genealogical center of Savoy… all make this center the cultural core of Thonon -the baths. A 17th century building brought up to date to generate social ties but also to participate in the dynamism of the city and to host various cultural events.
House of Arts of Léman
Theater, dance, music, song, opera, circus, etc. (more than sixty events per season) and several important events: Traverse paths from October to May and Montjoux Festival in July.
The Chablais museum
The Chablais museum at the Château de Sonnaz, a historic residence, enjoys an exceptional panorama over Lake Geneva. It hosts permanent exhibitions as well as a temporary exhibition, which always tries to be as close as possible to the memory of the region. The “Chablais museum “, created in 1863, is located in the tourist office of Thonon, in the vaulted cellars of the Castle of Sonnaz, historic home of the XVII century hanging above Lake Geneva, and offering magnificent panorama of the Jura massif.
The Ecomuseum of Fishing and the Lake
Dive into the heart of the fishing village and discover the ecomuseum of fishing and the lake at Thonon-les-Bains which has found its place in three traditional gatehouses, and lives to the rhythm of these fishing professionals of which he is the guardian of Memory. The Ecomuseum of Fishing and the Lake, located in the fishing port, is placed in the middle of traditional gatehouses, living to the rhythm of fishing professionals that visitors can observe during a visit. Through traditional fishing objects and explanatory panels, the museum introduces its visitors to the techniques of yesterday and today, but also to the fauna that inhabits Lake Geneva.
Etrave Gallery
For many years, the Maison des Arts du Léman has been defending the art of photography, which it presents at the rate of three exhibitions per year in the Galerie de l’Etrave. After having hosted the exhibitions of La Chapelle-Espace d’Art Contemporain for two seasons, the Galerie de l’Etrave has rediscovered its mission: to offer you glances, photographic images to perhaps see better and better love the world, our world.
Chapelle de la Visitation
Contemporary art space dedicated to contemporary art.
Events and festivities
The fair of Crete, created in the XVI century and takes place the first Thursday of September celebrated its 534 edition on Thursday 1 September 2011. It was at that time a major peasant fair (cattle, poultry) and commercial. Nowadays, there is still a trade fair which occupies an important part of the city, as well as a fun fair which attracts the population of Chablais and neighboring Switzerland.
The Montjoux Music Festival has been held annually since 1996 at the beginning of July. For the first time, it is canceled for its 2020 edition, following the situation related to the coronavirus. [ archive ] The city hosts a street festival in August called: Les Fondus du Macadam.
The city carnival called “Matagasse”, which crosses the city center of Thonon-Les-Bains, takes place every two years, during spring.
Gastronomy
The atrial are a delicatessen traditional Thonon-les-Bains, consisting of meat and liver pork minced, spiced and wrapped in a strainer.
The Ripaille estate produces a white wine with the Savoie wine appellation, Le Ripaille.
Thonon-les-Bains is a wine-growing commune in the Savoie vineyard, however it is also located in the geographical area of the IGP Comtés Rhodaniens, IGP which is shared between several vineyards (Savoie, Bugey, Rhône, Beaujolais and Loire). This wine-growing municipality has the authorization to produce the wines: AOC Roussette de Savoie, AOC Vin de Savoie and IGP Vin des Allobroges.
Green spaces
The city is bounded to the east by the Dranse and the Dranse Delta nature reserve located at its mouth in Lake Geneva. Created in 1980, the reserve is home to many species of birds. A pedestrian path allows you to visit it.
Contiguous to the domain of the castle of Ripaille, the forest of Ripaille and an arboretum extend over 53 hectares. These spaces are surrounded by the enclosure wall of the estate and can be visited freely. The arboretum, created in 1930, with an area of 19 hectares, presents many exotic species (including the Douglas fir). In the center of the arboretum, the Ripaille clearing houses a monument to the Righteous Among the Nations. The forest is a former hunting estate of the Dukes of Savoy and is mainly composed of pines and sod oaks. It shelters a fauna made up of some specimens of deer, rodents and a heronry.
The town wood extends over an area of 118 hectares to the south-east of the town to the town of Armoy at the foot of the Hermones massif. Arranged since 1903, the town wood has many paths practicable by bike or on foot, a fitness trail, and coincides with the GR 5 circuit.
Located below the hospital center, the pond of the Lady is the largest landscaped green space in the city. The park covers 25,000 m. Formerly an unhealthy marsh, it was restructured several times and developed in 1996. The pond is an outcrop of the water table from the source of the Versoie.
Leman lake
Undoubtedly the unmissable and the most famous for its grandeur and its landscapes with Riviera atmospheres. A link between France and Switzerland, it offers 53 km of French shore in the municipalities of Chablais. Walks along the shore, hikes to gain height or simply lazing around in the sun, Lake Geneva will make you travel on foot, by boat or by bike…
Ripaille Forest
A stone’s throw from the town center of Thonon, the Forêt de Ripaille is an opportunity for a pleasant stroll: this enclosed and wooded area is home to many animal species, and invites you to a “Nature break”, along a marked interpretation trail. Located in the heart of the Domaine de Ripaille, a classified historic site of 130 hectares within the city walls, this visit will introduce you to the old oak grove (53 hectares) former hunting ground of the Counts of Savoy, the arboretum sylvetum André Engel (19 hectares) and the National Memorial of the Just of France, built in 1997 in honor of the men and women who saved Jews during the Second World War. The site is home to a good number of animal and plant species living in autarky, the space being enclosed by a surrounding wall isolating it from the peripheral urbanization.
The forest of Ripaille which extends over 53 hectares is remarkable from the point of view of history, forestry and fauna. The Counts and Dukes of Savoy, who hunted there in the Middle Ages, were at the origin of the beautiful oak grove that we can still admire today. It is also from their time that the network of alleys that divide this forest dates back to towns in the Pays de Vaud, on the other side of the lake, formerly subservient to Savoy.
The great old wall, surrounding the site allows the existence of a very alive fauna where the deer, a large heronry and many nesting birds stand out. Ripaille is one of the sites which has received the “ZICO” label (important area for the conservation of birds) in application of a European Union directive.
André Engel created the forest arboretum whose collection of trees, planted from 1930 to 1934 on 19 hectares, consists of 58 different species, most of them exotic. The aim was to experiment with the way in which these plants could become accustomed to our region. Some species, such as the North American Douglas-fir, have shown remarkable adaptation.
Nature Reserve of the Dranse Delta
Easy to access, the site offers an astonishing diversity of environments in such a small area: straddling the towns of Thonon and Publier (Amphion), this incredible and unusual natural setting is home to many species (flora and fauna). Located between Thonon and Publier, the Dranse Delta nature reserve is one of the last natural areas on the shores of Lake Geneva, home to a number of animal and plant species. This area is classified ZPS (Special Protection Zone) for its ecological and environmental values. The Asters association (conservatory of natural spaces in Haute Savoie) manages this nature reserve by ensuring its control, monitoring and promotion in the eyes of the population.
At the end of avenue de Saint-Disdille, take the road on your right. A landscaped parking area welcomes you a little further and a natural path leads you to the nature reserve. It is an alluvial forest composed mainly of poplars and willows. It is the kingdom of small passerines: chickadees, pouillots, warblers… Continue to the mouth of the Dranse and the edges of the lake. Random encounters, we then observe herons, mergansers, knights guignette, small plovers… On the small beach behind the wetland, on the left, a tree is eaten by the beaver, a nocturnal animal that frequents the site. The heavily carved paths are the remains of the arms of the Dranse river which once flowed here.
Allinges castles
Former residence of St François de Sales, the castles of Allinges are one of the emblematic sites of the province of Chablais. The site offers an exceptional panorama over Lake Geneva, the Jura and the Prealps. The ruins of Château-Neuf and Château-Vieux stand face to face at the top of the Allinges hill. The 11th century Romanesque chapel of Château Neuf which houses a remarkable fresco in the cul-de-four apse is classified as a Historic Monument.
The belvedere des Châteaux rises to 717 meters. It offers one of the most beautiful views of the Chablais: you can admire the lake, the Swiss and French Jura, but also the Dent d’Oche, the highest point in Chablais (2222 meters). The site of the castles of Allinges is an essential site of the UNESCO Global Geopark of Chablais. You will discover the medieval history of these two neighboring and rival fortresses. Their walls bear the scars of their war. This place of the Allinges castles served as a residence for Saint François de Sales (1567-1622) during his mission of evangelization of this province, between 1594 and 1598, after it was taken over from the Protestants of Geneva and Bern by the Duke of Savoy. It remains a place of pilgrimage.
Activity
Funicular trundles
Dating to 1888, the funicular trundles 46 metres up the slope from Quai de Rives to the upper part of town. Since 1989 the trains have been entirely automated, and the thing that sets it apart from every other funicular in the world is that the track curves to the top instead of running in a straight line.
Valvital thermal center
Ideally located on the shores of Lake Geneva, at the foot of the Alps, Thonon-les-Bains flourishes in a climate of mildness and mountain authenticity. Its century-old experience in hydrotherapy, its green park, its renowned mineral water, make this city a privileged stopover for demanding spa visitors. It is in this idyllic setting that the spa park, flowered and planted with trees, welcomes the completely renovated thermal baths.
Thermal cures or relaxation and spa areas, the Valvital thermal center will offer you the best in the water of Thonon. Curists or simple lovers of care and beauty, find in the thermal baths what you need the most: pleasure and fitness.
The benefits of Thonon-les-Bains water have been recognized since ancient times. From the Romans, who already reported the diuretic merits of it, to the Valvital thermal center today, each has found in the water of Thonon-les-Bains its purest attributes. Today, the city and its name “les-bains” see spa guests from all over the world who want only to benefit from the rheumatological, diuretic and dietary benefits of the spa establishment. The Valvital thermal center in Thonon is also 600 square meters of relaxation space, a thermal pool at 32 ° C with a panoramic view of the park, decorated with beds and bubbling seats, swan necks, immersion massage course as well as ‘a musical cave, sauna, hammam, cold water well, ice fountain, experience showers and fun water treatments.
Water Sports
Thonon-les-Bains is one of 36 places around France awarded the Four-Star France Station Nautique Award. There’s hardly a watersport that isn’t offered at the marina, and sailing, windsurfing, water-skiing, kayaking and canoeing are all specialities.