Several years back while visiting my belle France, took a ride to Annecy. Not so strict on routing took a turn and came upon Aix les Bains, not into thermes but just walk a bit to get a glimpse. Not back since but left a nice impression of what would later be my country, France. I found some older pictures and would like to show it in my blog for the memories of mine and hopefully encourage others to visit Aix Les Bains. Hope you enjoy the post as I.
Aix-les-Bains is located in the Savoie department 73 in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Considered one of the oldest cities in Savoy, born from its hot springs, this water city is one of the important French thermal towns. about ten km from Chambery, prefecture of the department, and less than 30 km from Annecy, prefecture of Haute-Savoie(74). It is 83 km from Lyon, regional prefecture and 60 km from Geneva, Located in a corridor between Mont Revard, the first natural rampart of the Bauges massif, to the east and Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake in France.
Aix-les-Bains is located on the major axis of communication between Chambery and Annecy. The northern branch of the A41 highway/motorway passes by the city, allowing direct access to Annecy then further afield by the continuity of the A40, to the city of Geneva. Two exits (13 and 14) serve the town, one to the south, the other to the north. Aix-les-Bains is also accessible by train. It was one of the first European towns to host a rail network on its territory, when it was administered by the Dukes of Savoy .Today, the city is connected to Chambery as well as to Annecy and Culoz Aix-les-Bains train station is at boulevard du President-Wilson,and the Aix-les-Bains-Le Revard station is served by a TGV line, which puts the town about three hours from Paris . The Chambéry–Savoie airport in the town de Voglans, just a few dozen meters from the south shore of Lac du Bourget.
Some of the things to see here are, me think:
The Notre-Dame Church, Place du Cardinal Garrone. In a Roman-Byzantine style, it was inaugurated in 1899.
The Casino Grand Cercle constitutes a major architectural ensemble in Savoie .The Château de la Roche du Roi is a 20C castle, located on the heights of Aix-les-Bains, built on the side of a hill, the castle dominates a good part of the city and overlooks, among other things, the racecourse and the golf course. It was built in 1900. The Faure Museum was founded in 1949. In the beginning, it was to house the legacy of Doctor Jean Faure. The museum is present in a Genoese-style villa . The current city/town hall of Aix-les-Bains,was originally a residence of Conrad the Pacific, then the former castle of the marquis of Aix from the 15C to the 17C. The oldest part dates from the 12C, the house dates from the end of the 13C. At the end of the 16C the beautiful main staircase was erected with a stone banister to lead to a small chapel on the second floor.
A bit of history I like
Indeed, since antiquity the exploitation of hot springs has never been totally forgotten. We bathed in Aix in the Middle Ages182 and until the end of the eighteenth century, either in the only Roman swimming pool still existing, in the open air, or at the inhabitant’s where we had the thermal water brought by carrier. It is to the Duke of Chablais, son of King Victor Amédée III, that Aix owes its rebirth, because it was he who, after having tasted the benefits of the springs and finding himself poorly housed there, suggested to the king the construction of a thermal establishment . This was built from 1779 to 1783. In 1792, the thermal baths were requisitioned by the armies of the Republic (under the French revolution) , who sent wounded soldiers there to convalesce. With the First Empire, hydrotherapy again became important in the spa town. It was during this period that world personalities came to Aix-les-Bains such as the Bonaparte family. In October 1816, Alphonse de Lamartine‘s first stay in the spa town was one of the founding elements of the Romanticism artistic movement. Back in Aix-les-Bains the following year, he would drown his loneliness by writing the first lines of the poem Le Lac. The negotiations concerning the independence of Morocco in 1956 took place in Aix-les-Bains.
The City of Aix Les Bains on its heritage :https://www.aixlesbains.fr/Loisirs/Histoire/Patrimoine
The Aix Les Bains Rivera des Alpes tourist office on its heritage :https://www.aixlesbains-rivieradesalpes.com/decouvrez-aix-bains-riviera-alpes/les-incontournables/
There you go folks, another spot in my world map or rather France’s map. Glad to have found the pictures to give credit to Aix les Bains in my blog; good for the memories of always. Hope you enjoy the post and do visit and tell as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 