Viviers-du-Lac, Savoy, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Viviers-du-Lac is a French commune located in the Savoie department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. VIVIERS DU LAC is located at the bottom of the valley at 270 meters above sea level, on low heights freeing it from Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake in France with its 44 km² area, of which it is also a riparian.

This rural commune, of 400 hectares in area, has 2200 inhabitants. It is remarkably located. To the north, less than four kilometers away, Aix les Bains, a water town for two thousand years, which is living its destiny as a spa. To the south, six kilometers, Chambéry, the historic capital of Savoy, with 60,000 inhabitants.

VIVIERS DU LAC is well served: one hour from Lyon, Geneva, Grenoble by the network of alpine highways. The road network, both national and departmental, irrigates it directly, linking it doubly to Aix les Bains and Chambéry. Its station served by the TER allows travelers to reach in a few minutes, in Aix les Bains or Chambéry, the TGV which takes them to Paris in three hours.

Rome has seven hills, Viviers du Lac has three. Les Mollières to the west, separated by the Vallon des Cavettes, the Coteau de Boissy and finally the Essarts culminate 150 meters above the valley. Overlooking the Lac du Bourget, on the saddle plateau that separates Boissy des Essarts, is the administrative center, established near a Roman monument, the base of the church. Village devoted to agriculture, whose recent development has stretched the habitat from one hill to another.

But it is the Lac du Bourget, dear to Lamartine, silver plateau on which are placed the white or colored sails of the boats which crisscross it, that the Hameau de Terre Nue developed, named after the ancient canal. that borders it. Hamlet of fishermen, restaurants, hotels where tasting the frying of the lake makes it a renowned place.

The Port of the Four Roads, a marina that can accommodate around a hundred boats, and the Esplanade des Mottets, a leisure, games and nature discovery center (cistudes enclosures, endemic turtles of Lac du Bourget) are de Viviers du Lac a popular place to stay.

History
It is assumed that the town takes its name from the Roman fishponds (parts of water where fish were fed). One of these old fishponds, referred to as a pond in the Sardinian map of 1730, is currently known as Serve to the south of the Small Village. Another was near the church. A third was towards the level crossing between the railway line and the route des Mollières. In the various appellations of the village, we find, around 1120, Ecclesia de Vivaris, and Le Viviers in the 18th century.

Economy
Viviers-du-Lac was a village dominated by agriculture and fishing until the 20th century. In addition, there are various small and medium-sized businesses today. Commercial zones with service companies and shops were created along the main road in the valley floor south of Lac du Bourget. In the meantime the village has turned into a residential community. Many employed people are commuters who work mainly in the Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry area.

The village is well connected to traffic. It lies above the main road D1201 (formerly N201), which leads from Chambéry along the east bank of Lac du Bourget to Aix-les-Bains. Further road connections exist with Drumettaz-Clarafond, Méry, Voglans and Le Bourget-du-Lac. The closest connection to the A41 motorway is around three kilometers away. Viviers-du-Lac has a train station on the Culoz – Modane railway line.

Transport and communication channels
The town is crossed to the west by the old national road 201, today departmental road 1201, which connects Chambéry to the Swiss border and extends the urban expressway of Chambéry. To the east, the old national road 491, today departmental road 991, runs along the first but serves the capital of Viviers-du-Lac.

In terms of rail, the town is crossed by the Culoz to Modane line (border) and is served by the Viviers-du-Lac station, the only station still in commercial service between Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains. The station is served by the Rhône-Alpes TER trains providing links between Ambérieu-en-Bugey and Chambéry. The TER coaches serving the town stop not in front of the station but in front of the church located about a hundred meters away.

Viviers-du-Lac is also served by buses from the Ondéa urban bus network. The main line n o 1 linking Aix-les-Bains in Le Bourget-du-Lac serves a large part of the territory of the commune. Proximity lines 10 and 12 also serve the town during period and during school hours.

The largest street is rue Antoine-Montagnole, parallel to the town hall, the school and the church. The hamlet of Terre-Nue, located at the edge of the lake, depending on the commune of Viviers, has a port and a slipway. It is crossed by the rue du Colonel-Bachetta which joins the D1201 road.

Public space

Town hall
Since 1992, the town hall has occupied the building of the former presbytery, after the departure of the last incumbent parish priest. In 2018, the reception was brought up to the standards in force for the reception of people with reduced mobility.

Primary school
It is in two parts: the nursery part is itself divided into two buildings linked by a reception hall. The elementary part (from CP to CM2) is located in the historic building which formerly included the municipal school and the town hall. In 2018, major work was carried out to change all the doorframes and to bring the reception standards for People with Reduced Mobility (PRM) up to current standards.

Canteen & daycare
The canteen & daycare service is located on the ground floor of a building built in 2002, the first floor of which houses two classrooms: the nursery school’s section and an activity room.

La Roselière room
The room of La Roselière is located in the valley of Cavettes, chemin des Cavettes, at the western entrance of the village from the lake by the RD 1201. It is rented to individuals, viviérains or people outside the village. She is equipped with a defibrillator.

Henri Blanc room
The Henri Blanc room is located in the town center, rue Montagnole. The room is first reserved for school activities during school time. It is reserved for associations of the municipality for their activities or, on request, for meetings (general assemblies, etc.).

Association room
The association room occupies the ground floor of the old village grocery store, opposite the town hall. It is very often used by the various associations of the village; inquire at the town hall for any occasional use.

Church
The parish church of Saint-Vincent in Viviers-du-Lac was built in the 19th century in the neo-Gothic style. It should be remembered that the church is a municipal building and that as such, the municipality is responsible for the good condition of this building and for the safety of users. After the total repair of the roof, the municipality undertook the restoration of the stained glass windows. In 2017, accessibility standards for People with Reduced Mobility (PRM) were brought into line.

Bourget Lake
The Bourget lake is a lake in France to the west of the department ‘s Savoy in region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Post-glacial lake in the Jura massif, Lac du Bourget was formed at the end of the last Würm glaciation, around 19,000 years ago, by the retreat of the great alpine glacier of the Quaternary. It is the largest natural lake of glacial origin entirely located in France, most of Lake Geneva being located in Switzerland.

Its current name, linked to the municipality that borders the southern part, has been used only as of xiii th century. Artistically, the lake is particularly linked to the presence of the poet Alphonse de Lamartine who wrote poems there, including Le Lac dedicated to the woman he loves, Julie Charles, during his stay in October 1816.

In terms of tourism, the lake has many beaches on its shores, leisure centers, numerous tourist sites, the most famous being the royal abbey of Hautecombe where many rulers of the House of Savoy rest. The most important riverside town in terms of its population is Aix-les-Bains, one of the most famous French spa towns, with just under 30,000 inhabitants and which hosts a pop-rock festival, Musilac, near the shores of the lake.