Haute-Savoie is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Geneva; to the south and southeast are Mont Blanc and the Aravis mountain range.

It holds its name from the Savoy historical region, as does the department of Savoie, located south of Haute-Savoie. In 2017, it had a population of 807,360. Its subprefectures are Bonneville, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois and Thonon-les-Bains. The French entrance to the Mont Blanc Tunnel into Italy is in Haute-Savoie. It is noted for winter sports; the first Winter Olympic Games were held at Chamonix in 1924.

The historical region of Savoy was governed by the House of Savoy, the ruling dynasty of Savoy from 1032 to 1860. The Duchy of Savoy were rulers of the Savoy region from 1416 to 1720.

The territory occupied by modern Haute-Savoie and the adjoining department of Savoie became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Annexation of the region by France was formalised in the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860.

From November 1942 to September 1943, Haute-Savoie was subjected to military occupation by Fascist Italy. The Maquis des Glières (a band of Free French Resistance fighters who opposed the Nazi, Vichy and Milice regimes during World War II) operated from Haute-Savoie. In the winter of 1943-1944, German troops burned down around 500 farms in response to French Resistance activities.

Haute-Savoie has significant freshwater resources. Lake Annecy is a major attraction, along with the town of Évian-les-Bains, perhaps the best-known town on the French shore of Lake Geneva, and known worldwide for its Evian mineral water. Haute-Savoie is entirely within the watershed of the Rhône.

Feel free to Email me any additions or corrections

LINKS AVAILABLE TO YOUR SITE