ANNEMASSE
Stage town for the second time
Chief town of a canton in Haute-Savoie.
Population: 37,500. 193,000 inhabitants in the agglomeration.
Personalities: Jérôme Coppel, Aurélien and Valentin Paret-Peintre, Philippe Chevallier (cycling). Pascal Dupraz (football). Tessa Worley (alpine skiing, world giant champion). Deborah Antonioz (snowboard, Olympic medallist). Jean-Marc Gaillard (cross-country skiing, Olympic medallist). Dylan Cretin (rugby).
Specialities: fillets of perch, féras, ombles, lake trout. Chignin-bergeron (wine). Fondue savoyarde, potato-based bognettes, crozets, péla, tartiflette, diots, polenta, rioutes, longeole (flavoured charcuterie). Bugnes, blueberry pie.
Sport: USAAG (football). RC Annemasse (rugby).
Events : Foulées annemassiennes. Annemasse-Bellegarde-Annemasse (cycling). 24-hour swimming race. Climbing Grand Prix.
Economy: Railway. Casino. Border tourism. Headquarters of international companies (Parker-Hannifin, Siegwerk - ink)
Culture and festivals: Children's book festival. Musical'été. Jazz Trends. Hello winter.
Labels: ville fleurie (****), internet city @@@.
Websites / FB / Twitter / Insta: www.annemasse.fr , www.annemasse-agglo.fr / www.montsdegeneve.com
ANNEMASSE AND CYCLING
The Tour de France has only stopped in Annemasse once, in 2003, for the start of a stage won in Lons-le-Saulnier by Juan Miguel Mercado. The Swiss border town has hosted the Critérium du Dauphiné on six occasions, the last one in 2008 when Cyril Dessel won. The Tour de l'Avenir has also visited the city four times. The Annemasse-Bellegarde-Annemasse race also takes place every year, with the winners in recent years being Aurélien Paret-Peintre (2018), Benoît Cosnefroy (2016) or Guillaume Martin (2015). Annemasse is the birthplace of a number of talented riders, starting with Jérôme Coppel, the French time trial champion in 2015, who took part in six Tours de France between 2009 and 2016, finishing in 13th in 2011. It is also the home of the Paret-Peintre brothers, Aurélien and Valentin. Aurélien has already taken part in the Tour twice, finishing 15th on his first attempt. Valentin will soon get his chance. Another product of VC Annemasse, Philippe Chevallier won a stage in the Tour de France in 1983 before becoming a top executive at ASO, the UCI and now at the head of the AG2R-Citroën team, where he is general manager.
SIGHTS
Villa du Parc
Villa du Parc, a contemporary art centre since 1986, is located in the heart of Montessuit Park. The building comprises an exhibition space of 250 m² spread over two levels and five rooms of different sizes, including the veranda where a documentation centre and a work space cohabit. In addition to the monographic and group exhibitions of national and international artists that it organises each year, Villa du Parc offers guided tours, lectures, meetings with artists and art critics, and performances designed to facilitate access to the themes and artistic approaches presented, thus contributing to the awareness and education of a broad public in art.
Château Rouge
Created in the 1980s on the initiative of show enthusiasts, the Château Rouge Cultural Relay is an association responsible for the dissemination of live performances with a focus on contemporary music, dance and theatre, cross-border cooperation and support for creation. This facility is composed of several spaces: a large hall (seating capacity of 500 or 1,000 and 1,500 seats in a seated/standing configuration), a concert hall (700 seats), a small hall (220 seats), rehearsal studios and a concert café.
Saint-Joseph's Church in Annemasse
Built: 1946
Style: neo-romanesque.
History: the construction of St. Joseph's Church began in 1941. It was built according to the 1937 plans of Benedictine architect Dom Paul Bellot and architect François Bérenger.
Characteristics: the structure is made of reinforced concrete. The stained-glass windows are by Jean Bertholle (1963). Savoy sculptor Jean Constant-Demaison created one of his last works with the Way of the Cross (1985). The decoration of the choir and the apses is by French artists Philippe Kaeppelin and Jean-François Ferraton (1999).
Grand casino
Owned by the Partoche group, the Annemasse Grand Casino has over 170 slot machines for players to play as well as the traditional English roulette, blackjack, battle and ultimate poker. The casino also has a restaurant.
La Bulle
La Bulle, a cultural venue designed to be a unique space, offers its visitors a gaming space, a games library, a library, a digital space, a café and a press point. Designed and governed in collaboration with the population, it is a simple place that allows everyone to exercise their cultural rights respectfully.
TO EAT
Perch fillets
The proximity of Geneva and the lake encourages restaurant owners in Annemasse to offer one of the emblematic dishes of Lake Geneva (and of Swiss lakes), the perch fillet. Perch, char or trout are also common fish in the lake on the menu of fish shops. Unfortunately, the resource has dried up in the lakes of the region and, despite increasingly frequent attempts to control it, the majority of perch on the market are imported from Russia or Poland, which does not detract from their quality. To be enjoyed in a meunière sauce with a glass of chignin-bergeron.
