Im Tal der Arve gelegen, war Cluses bereits zweimal Ziel und dreimal Ausgangsort einer Etappe der Tour de France. Bei jedem Start von Cluses war das Peloton mit einem anderen Szenario konfrontiert: einmal ein Zeitfahren, dann eine hügelige Etappe, die für den ersten Eintrag auf der Siegesliste von Thor Hushovd als angriffslustigstem Ausreißer sorgte, und 2021 schließlich eine große Bergetappe. Auf der Strecke nach Tignes legte Ben O’Connor einen Alleingang hin. Tadej Pogačar holte sich bei der Gelegenheit erneut das Gelbe Trikot, das er bei der Auflage von 2020 erst ganz am Ende übernommen hatte, und distanzierte seine Rivalen Richard Carapaz und Jonas Vingegaard, um seine Vormachtstellung eindrucksvoll zu demonstrieren.
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Cluses and cycling
In the Arve Valley, Cluses has hosted two stage finishes and three stage starts in the Tour de France. Each time the race set off from here, the peloton faced a different scenario: a time trial, a hilly stage that saw the most combative of the sprinters, Thor Hushovd, open his account, and finally a major mountain stage in 2021. On the road to Tignes, Ben O’Connor put in a solo masterclass. Tadej Pogacar, who on that occasion reclaimed the Yellow Jersey he had snatched at the very end of the 2020 race, had left his rivals Richard Carapaz and Jonas Vingegaard trailing to assert his dominance.
Cluses has also hosted two Tour de France stage finishes coming from the Tarentaise valley. This was the case in 1994, with a stage starting from Moûtiers and won by Piotr Urgrumov, and in 2002 for a stage starting from Aime.
Cluses has featured even more frequently on the Criterium du Dauphiné route, most recently in 2019 as the start of a stage won in Champery, Switzerland, by Dylan Van Baarle, as well as on the Tour des Pays de Savoie, with prestigious winners such as Tao Geoghegan Hart in 2016 and Egan Bernal in 2017.
Sights
Museum of Watchmaking and Bar Turning
Opened: 1993
History and features: unique in terms of both its history and its collections, the Museum of Watchmaking and Bar Turning is well worth a visit. Founded at the dawn of the 20th century by the Cluses National School of Watchmaking, the museum had a dual purpose: to collect antique timepieces (the oldest of which dates from the 16th century) and to preserve the memory of the local industry.
Now situated in the Espace Carpano & Pons, a former industrial site, the museum also traces the history of the Watchmaking School, notably by displaying a unique collection of escapement models manufactured in Cluses.
Certifications: Quality Tourism. Tourism and Disability.
Place des Allobroges
Formerly known as Pré de Foire because livestock fairs were held there, Place des Allobroges marks the entrance to the town centre. It was also the heart of the market town before the fire of 1844. The only remnant from that period is the fountain (1791), which is listed in the register of Historic Monuments.
Église des Cordeliers
Built in the 15th century.
History: a church is mentioned in Cluses as early as the 7th century, but this may have been the one in the Saint-Nicolas suburb (1733), which is now disused. The parish became home to a Cordeliers convent around 1471, following a papal bull. The convent church was consecrated in 1485. During the occupation of the Duchy of Savoy, at the time of the French Revolution, the bell tower was dismantled. In 1847, as the church in the Faubourg Saint-Nicolas was in a deplorable state, the Cordeliers Church became the parish church.
Notable feature: the church contains a superb 16th-century chiselled holy water font, listed as a Historic Monument in 1904.
Town Hall
Built: 1901
History and features: the Town Hall was built in 1901 on the site of a former convent. It is a typical example of the Neoclassical style.
The first floor is freely accessible and features a monumental painting by the Cluses-born artist Claude Hugard (1816–1885), depicting the Cluses fire of 1844. On the same floor, an electric clock made by pupils at the Cluses School of Clockmaking in 1911 is on display.
The Old Bridge
Built in the 17th century.
History: built in 1674, this attractive stone bridge was the only way to cross the River Arve between Bonneville and Sallanches until 1850, when the Pont Neuf was built.
An inscription carved into the stone mentions the architect’s name, the date the bridge was built and the date of its first restoration. The old access road to the village of Nancy-sur-Cluses starts from the bridge; it has been closed to traffic since the motorway was built.
Listing: listed as a Historic Monument in 1975.
