CHAMBERY TODAY
PUBLIC READING RULES IN CHAMBERY
Chambery is the French town devoting most funds to facilitate public reading and the number of books and documents hired from libraries in Chambery is three times as much as in an average French town. The town’s libraries keep up to date with the latest technology to make sure its inhabitants keep reading: the first downloading system in the region was installed here, external libraries were created and a baby reader card is awarded to every child born in Chambery. A special reading space has been created for disabled people while readers have been hired to read to blind people.
Chambery’s main library is named after Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who would certainly be proud to see how his fellow-citizens are keeping the reading flame alive.
CHAMBERY : THE STORY
COUNT DE BOIGNE, A CHAMBERY-BORN ADVENTURER
The son of a fur merchant of Chambery, Benoit Leborgne was fascinated as a child by the exotic animals painted on his parents shop. The tigers and elephants gave him an early taste for adventure. Enrolled in King Louis XV’s Irish regiment, he heard the elders tell the tales of their campaigns in India. Fighting with the regiment of Count Orlov, he was kidnapped by the Turks and, on release, travelled to Smyrna where local merchants convinced him to go to India to make a fortune. On recommendation from Orlov and British officers, he reached India and worked to the service of local lords. In Lucknow, he changed his name to De Boigne and was hired as the military aide to Mahadaji Sindhia, who ruled over the Maratha Empire. Named general, he found himself in charge of an army of 100,000 men trained in the European fashion, which allowed the Maratha Empire to resist the English rule. Towards the end of his life, De Boigne returned to Europe, first to England where he married a French immigrant after repudiating his Persian wife. He then returned to France and to his native town of Chambery, in which he died in 1830. He was knighted and named baron by the King of Piedmont-Sardinia.
CHAMBERY AND CYCLING
CHAMPION DE LEMOND
Because of its ideal position at the foot of the mountains, Chambery is obviously a cycling stronghold, even though it never hosted a stage finish on the Tour, which is inclined to hold them up on the mountain rather than in valleys. Yet the capital of the Dukes of Savoy held one of the most exciting world championships in 1989. Greg LeMond, who had just achieved one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of the sport when he won the Tour with an eight-seconds lead over Laurent Fignon, confirmed on the Chambery circuit that the year was his. Still recovering from his hunting accident, the American was strong enough to reply to an attack by Laurent Fignon – who else? – and to win ahead of Dmitry Konyshev and Sean Kelly. Six years after his first world crown, LeMond was on top of the world again. The three-times Tour champion named one of the models of his bike line after Chambery.
Before this, the Tour only started from Chambery once in 1996 but it was an eventful stage by all means. Luc Leblanc was the stage winner in Les Arcs, Stpehane Heulot handed his yellow jersey to Evgueni Berzin, Miguel Indurain lost all hopes of a 6th Tour victory while Johan Bruyneel fell into a ravine!
There is however a long cycling tradition in Chambery as the town hosted the Criterium du Dauphine 20 times, with victories by Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Thevenet or Bernard Hinault. Between 1991 and 2004, the Classic of the Alps also took place around town. Chambery is the hometown of pro team AG2R, whose sports director Vincent Lavenu was born here as well as 1992 stage winner Gilles Delion.
CHAMBERY : places to see
THE DUKES OF SAVOY CASTLE
Built on one end of the Montjay hill, the castle was the main house of the Dukes of Savoy between 1295 and 1563. Destroyed by fire several times, the last in 1997, the castle is now a mixture of buildingS dating from the 14th to the 19th century. It holds the headquarters of the Prefecture.
THE 4 SANS CUL (BOTTOMLESS FOUR) STATUE
The fountain, which has become the symbol of Chambery, was built in 1838 by Grenoble sculptor Pierre-Victor Sappey to celebrate the feats in India of local hero Count De Boigne, who died seven years before. Four iron elephants are joined at the back (hence the bottomless nickname) and each carries a battle tower with inscriptions and trophies.
