Bourg-Saint-Maurice

Bourg-Saint-Maurice (French pronunciation: ​[buʁ sɛ̃ mɔʁis, - moʁ-]), popularly known as just Bourg, is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It serves as a transport hub for the Paradiski ski area, with direct trains from London during the winter.

Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Commune
A general view of Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Coat of arms
Location of Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Coordinates: 45°37′03″N 6°46′10″E
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentSavoie
ArrondissementAlbertville
CantonBourg-Saint-Maurice
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Michel Giraudy
Area
1
179.07 km2 (69.14 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
7,302
 • Density41/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
73054 /73700
Elevation744–3,823 m (2,441–12,543 ft)
(avg. 815 m or 2,674 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Arc en Ciel funicular railway

History

Bergintrum was a place on the Gallic side of the pass of the Alpes Graiae, lying on the road marked in the Antonine Itinerary between Mediolanum (modern Milan) and Vienna (modern Vienne). D'Anville (Notice, etc.) places it, according to the Table, between Axima (modern Aime) and Alpis Graia. The distance from Bergintrum to Axima is marked viiii M. P. The Alpis Graia is usually identified with a settlement at the watershed on the pass of the Little Saint Bernard, which divides the waters that flow to the Isère on the French side from those that flow to the Dora Baltea on the Italian side. This is the place D'Anville calls l'Hôpital, on the authority of a manuscript map of the country. D'Anville first proposed the identification of Bergintrum with Bourg-Saint-Maurice; although he acknowledged that xii, the distance in the Table between Bergintrum and Alpis Graia, does not fit the distance between Bourg-Saint-Maurice and l'Hôpital, which is less. Modern scholarship confirms the identification.[2]

Governance

The town is in the arrondissement of Albertville in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The mayor is Michel Giraudy.

Geography

It is the last town along the Tarentaise valley in the heart of the French Alps.

Demography

As of 2017 the population was 7,302.

Economy

Bourg-Saint-Maurice provides accommodation and a transport hub for the Paradiski ski area (425 km of slopes, 141 lifts, 239 slopes - 12 Green, 132 Blue, 66 Red, 29 Black).[3] Although there is no skiing at this altitude, it has many budget rental properties. Unlike the villages that make up Les Arcs, Bourg-Saint-Maurice is open all year.

Culture and community

There is a cinema and weekly markets.

Landmarks

Ouvrage Chatelard is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also known as the Little Maginot Line. Begun in 1938, the ouvrage consists of one infantry block about one kilometer northeast of the town, in the village of Le Chatelard. A short gallery with cross galleries extends into the rock, with an emergency exit and ventilation shaft halfway back. The ouvrage was incomplete in 1940, under the command of Sub-Lieutenant Bochaton.[4]

Transport

The railway station is linked to the TGV network and has services direct from London in winter. The Arc en Ciel funicular railway links the town to the Arc 1600 ski area.

Education

There is a primary school on Rue de la Rosière, and language and ski schools.

Religious sites

The Catholic church of St Maurice is on the Grande Rue in the centre of town, the Protestant church is on Avenue Maréchal Leclerc to the south.

Sport

Bourg is also a popular summer destination, as it offers much to lovers of the outdoors and watersports. There is a whitewater slalom course on the Isere river used for international canoe and kayak competitions. The course on the Isere has been host to the ICF world championships and is used by many European teams as a training course in the summer. The course is often changed by the floods that occur during the winter months.

The surrounding mountains are good for walking and mountain biking. They also are a good place for paragliding and hang gliding. Some of Les Arcs ski lifts operate during July and August to get walkers to the higher peaks and you can take mountain bikes up on these. Mountain bikes (vélo tout terrain or VTT in French) can be hired in both Bourg and Les Arcs. Some of the high altitude restaurants open in these months, the ones at Pre st Esprit and L'Arpete have small outdoor pools.

The nearest summer glacier skiing is in Tignes (approximately 27 km from Bourg) on the Grande Motte; due to glacial recession, however, it is now closed at certain times of the year.

Notable people
  • The French ski mountaineer Bertrand Blanc was born in Bourg-Saint-Maurice on October 29, 1973.

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Richard Talbert, Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, (ISBN 0-691-03169-X), Map 17.
  3. http://www.peakretreats.co.uk/winter/ski-resorts/paradiski/bourg-st-maurice
  4. Puelinckx, Jean; Aublet, Jean-Louis; Mainguin, Sylvie (2010). "Chatelard (po de)". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.