Chambéry

{{Short description|Prefecture and city in Savoie, France}} {{Distinguish|Chamberí|Champéry|Pregny-Chambésy}} {{redirect|Chambery|the neighbourhood in Canada|Chambery, Edmonton}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}} {{Infobox French commune |name = Chambéry |native name = ''Chambèri'' (Arpitan)<br/>{{native name|it|Ciamberì}} |commune status = Prefecture and commune |image = {{Photomontage|position=center | photo2a = Chambéry - Place St-Léger.JPG | photo3a = Toits centre ancien Chambéry (2014).JPG | photo4b = Palais de justice-Chambéry.jpg | photo2b = Chateaunuit.JPG | photo4a = Place du Centenaire à Chambéry en début de soirée (été 2018).JPG | photo1a = Chambéry - Belledonnes (Savoie).JPG | size = 270 | spacing = 2 | color = #FFFFFF | border = 0 | foot_montage = From top to bottom, left to right: Panorama of Chambéry with ''Belledonne'' mountain range at the background, place St-Léger in the old town, the castle of the Dukes of Savoy, panoramic sight on the roofs of the Chambéry historical center, the Place du Centenaire and Chambéry Courthouse.}} |image flag = Flag of Chambéry.svg |image flag size = 85px |image coat of arms = Coat of Arms of Chambéry.svg |city motto = |coordinates = {{coord|45.57|5.9118|format=dms|display=inline,title}} |elevation m = 270 |elevation min m = 245 |elevation max m = 560 |arrondissement = Chambéry |canton = Chambéry-1, 2 and 3 |mayor = Thierry Repentin<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=6 June 2023|language=fr}}</ref> |party = DVG |term = 2020–2026 |intercommunality = Grand Chambéry |area km2 = 20.99 |area footnotes = |INSEE = 73065 |postal code = 73000 |population = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}} |population date = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}} |population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}} |population ranking = 94th in France |urban pop = 200867 |urban area km2 = 327.5 |urban pop date = 2022<ref name=compar/> |metro area pop = 263919 |metro area km2 = 1147 |metro area pop date = 2022<ref name=compar/> |website = {{URL|www.chambery.fr}} }}

'''Chambéry''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|ʃ|ɒ̃|b|ə|r|i}},<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Chamb%C3%A9ry |title=Chambéry |dictionary=Lexico UK English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press}}{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|ˌ|ʃ|ɒ̃|b|eɪ|ˈ|r|iː}},<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Chambéry|access-date=31 July 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|fr|ʃɑ̃beʁi|lang}}; Arpitan: ''Chambèri''; Italian: ''Ciamberì'') is the prefecture and largest city of the Savoie department in the southeastern Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France.

The population of the commune of Chambéry was 60,251 as of 2022, while the population of the Chambéry metropolitan area was 263,919.<ref name=compar>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=AAV2020-050+UU2020-73601+COM-73065 Comparateur de territoire], INSEE, retrieved 15 February 2025.</ref> The city is located at the foot of the French Alps between Bauges and Chartreuse mountains, and is a railway and highway crossroads.

It had been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V, Count of Savoy, made the city his seat of power. The annexation of Savoy merged the city to France in 1860. Together with other alpine towns Chambéry engages in the Alpine Town of the Year Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc. Chambéry was awarded Alpine Town of the Year 2006.

==Geography== Chambéry was founded at a crossroads of ancient routes through the Dauphiné (''Dôfenât'') region of France, Switzerland, and Italy, in a wide valley between the Bauges and the Chartreuse Mountains on the Leysse River. The metropolitan area has more than 125,000 residents, extending from the vineyard slopes of the {{ill|Combe de Savoie|fr}} almost to the shores of the Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake in France. The city is a major railway hub at the midpoint of the Franco-Italian Turin–Lyon high-speed railway (TGV).

Chambéry is situated in southeast France, {{convert|523|km|0|abbr=off}} from Paris, {{convert|326|km|0|abbr=off}} from Marseille, {{convert|214|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from Turin, {{convert|100|km|mi|0|abbr=off}} from Lyon and {{convert|85|km|mi|0|abbr=off}} from Geneva. It is found in a large valley, surrounded by the Massif des Bauges to the east (dominated by Le Nivolet, upon which La Croix du Nivolet is found), Mont Granier (Chartreuse) and the {{ill|Chaîne de Belledonne|fr}} to the south, the Chaîne de l'Épine (the most southern mountain of the Jura) to the west and the Lac du Bourget to the north. If seen as the meeting point of the Jura and the Alps, it is the westernmost point of the Swiss plateau which lies between them.

The towns surrounding Chambéry are Barberaz, Bassens, Cognin, Jacob-Bellecombette, La Motte-Servolex, La Ravoire, Saint-Alban-Leysse and Sonnaz.

thumb|center|upright=1.2|Panorama of Chambéry.

==History== [[File:Hôtel de Ville Chambéry.jpg|thumb|The Hôtel de Ville]] The history of Chambéry is closely linked to the House of Savoy and was the Savoyard capital from 1295 to 1563. During this time, Savoy encompassed a region that stretched from Bourg-en-Bresse in the west, across the Alps to Turin, north to Geneva, and south to Nice. Chambéry declined after Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy moved his capital to Turin in 1563.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.savoie-mont-blanc.com/en/culture-and-visits/the-duchy-of-savoy-600-years-of-history/|title=The Duchy of Savoie, 600 years of history|publisher=Savoie Mont Blanc|access-date=22 November 2024}}</ref>

France annexed the regions that formerly constituted the Duchy of Savoy west of the Alps in 1792; however, the former duchy and Chambéry were returned to the rulers of the House of Savoy in Turin in 1815 following the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. The need for urban revitalization was met by the establishment of the ''Société Académique de Savoie'' in 1820, which was devoted to material and ethical progress, now housed in an apartment of the ducal château. Chambéry and lands of the former duchy, as well as the County of Nice, were ceded to France by Piedmont in 1860, under the reign of Napoleon III.<ref>{{Cite book |last=de Saint-Genis |first=Victor Flour |title=Histoire de Savoie d'après les documents originaux |date=1869 |series=La révolution, 1713 à 1860 |volume=3 |pages=366 |language=fr}}</ref> The Hôtel de Ville was officially opened in 1867.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.savoie-archives.fr/archives73/dossiers_sabaudia/_hotels_de_ville/hoteldeville-chambery.php |title=Hôtel de Ville de Chambéry|publisher=SAvoy Archives |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924094652/http://www.savoie-archives.fr/archives73/dossiers_sabaudia/_hotels_de_ville/hoteldeville-chambery.php |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed"> File:Chambery 1645.jpg|Chambéry in 1645. File:Chambéry vers 1780.JPG|Around 1780. File:Chambéry 1864.jpg|In 1864. </gallery>

==Climate== Chambéry is right on the boundary between the humid subtropical (Cfa) and oceanic climates (Cfb) under the Köppen system. In spite of this it is highly influenced by its interior position within France, resulting in quite hot summers and winters with frequent temperatures below freezing, especially at night. Convective rainfall is frequent for much of the year, rendering high precipitation/day quotas.

{{Weather box |location= Chambéry Airport (1991–2020 averages) |metric first= Y |single line= Y |Jan record high C = 20.3 |Feb record high C = 20.7 |Mar record high C = 25.1 |Apr record high C = 29.5 |May record high C = 32.7 |Jun record high C = 36.7 |Jul record high C = 38.8 |Aug record high C = 38.8 |Sep record high C = 32.3 |Oct record high C = 29.0 |Nov record high C = 23.3 |Dec record high C = 22.7 |year record high C = 38.8 |Jan high C = 6.4 |Feb high C = 8.5 |Mar high C = 13.4 |Apr high C = 17.3 |May high C = 21.3 |Jun high C = 25.3 |Jul high C = 27.8 |Aug high C = 27.1 |Sep high C = 22.3 |Oct high C = 17.0 |Nov high C = 10.6 |Dec high C = 6.9 |year high C = 17.0 |Jan mean C = 2.9 |Feb mean C = 4.1 |Mar mean C = 8.0 |Apr mean C = 11.4 |May mean C = 15.6 |Jun mean C = 19.4 |Jul mean C = 21.4 |Aug mean C = 20.9 |Sep mean C = 16.8 |Oct mean C = 12.3 |Nov mean C = 6.9 |Dec mean C = 3.4 |year mean C = 11.9 |Jan low C = -0.7 |Feb low C = -0.4 |Mar low C = 2.5 |Apr low C = 5.6 |May low C = 10.0 |Jun low C = 13.5 |Jul low C = 15.0 |Aug low C = 14.6 |Sep low C = 11.3 |Oct low C = 7.7 |Nov low C = 3.1 |Dec low C = 0.0 |year low C = 6.8 |Jan record low C = -19.0 |Feb record low C = -14.4 |Mar record low C = -10.3 |Apr record low C = -4.6 |May record low C = -1.4 |Jun record low C = 2.8 |Jul record low C = 5.4 |Aug record low C = 5.0 |Sep record low C = 1.0 |Oct record low C = -4.3 |Nov record low C = -10.8 |Dec record low C = -13.5 |year record low C = -19.0 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 102.6 |Feb precipitation mm = 79.1 |Mar precipitation mm = 93.1 |Apr precipitation mm = 87.9 |May precipitation mm = 101.0 |Jun precipitation mm = 94.5 |Jul precipitation mm = 91.7 |Aug precipitation mm = 97.6 |Sep precipitation mm = 104.3 |Oct precipitation mm = 113.3 |Nov precipitation mm = 114.6 |Dec precipitation mm = 124.2 |year precipitation mm = 1203.9 |Jan precipitation days = 9.7 |Feb precipitation days = 8.1 |Mar precipitation days = 9.7 |Apr precipitation days = 9.6 |May precipitation days = 11.1 |Jun precipitation days = 9.9 |Jul precipitation days = 8.2 |Aug precipitation days = 8.5 |Sep precipitation days = 8.8 |Oct precipitation days = 10.3 |Nov precipitation days = 10.1 |Dec precipitation days = 10.6 |year precipitation days = 114.6 |Jan snow days = 5.4 |Feb snow days = 4.6 |Mar snow days = 2.2 |Apr snow days = 1.2 |May snow days = 0.0 |Jun snow days = 0.0 |Jul snow days = 0.0 |Aug snow days = 0.0 |Sep snow days = 0.0 |Oct snow days = 0.0 |Nov snow days = 1.7 |Dec snow days = 3.2 |year snow days = |Jan sun = 76.6 |Feb sun = 101.8 |Mar sun = 157.8 |Apr sun = 176.2 |May sun = 202.3 |Jun sun = 236.3 |Jul sun = 261.6 |Aug sun = 237.1 |Sep sun = 180.7 |Oct sun = 123.8 |Nov sun = 74.5 |Dec sun = 66.3 |year sun = 1894.9 |source 1= Météo France<ref name= Météo>{{cite web | url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_73329001.pdf | title = Données climatiques de la station de Chambéry | publisher = Météo France | language = fr | access-date = 19 June 2022}}</ref> |date= July 2022 }}

==Main sights== thumb|Cour du Château in central Chambéry : ''Sainte-Chapelle'' (left) and ''Aile du Midi'' (right).

===Château des ducs de Savoie=== {{Unreferenced section|date=December 2022}} The Château des ducs de Savoie, also known as ''Château de Chambéry'', is a fortified castle dating from the 11th century. The first counts of Savoy settled into an existing fortress in 1285 and expanded it in the early-14th century to serve as a residence, seat of power and administration, and as stronghold for the House of Savoy. However, it quickly became obsolete as a serious fortification genuinely capable of resisting a siege. Due to constant French hostilities, Duke Emmanuel Philibert decided to move his capital to Turin.

The château remained purely an administrative centre until Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy, returned to hold court in 1640. It was the site of the 1684 marriage between Victor Amadeus II and Anne Marie d'Orléans, niece of Louis XIV. Victor Amadeus II, having abdicated, lived here with his second wife Anna Canalis di Cumiana before they were imprisoned at the Castle of Rivoli for trying to reclaim the throne.

In 1786, Victor Amadeus III enlarged it, adding a Royal Wing.

Under Napoleon Bonaparte, the ''Aile du Midi'' ("South Wing") was rebuilt and redecorated to house the imperial prefecture of the department of Mont-Blanc. Elaborate modification to the structure were made again after Savoy was annexed by France in 1860.

Today, the political administration of the department of Savoie is located in the castle, and it is open for tours and concerts.

thumb|The most famous landmark in Chambéry: the ''Elephants Fountain''.

===Fontaine des Éléphants=== The ''Fontaine des Éléphants'' ("Elephants Fountain") is the most famous landmark in Chambéry. It was built in 1838 to honour Benoît de Boigne's feats when he was in India. The monumental fountain has realistic sculptures of the head and forelimbs of four lifesize elephants truncated into the base of a tall column in the shape of the savoyan (''savoyarde'') cross, topped by a statue of de Boigne. At first, the landmark was mocked by the local residents who were annoyed by it, but it now is accepted as one of the city's symbols.

Since the early controversy, the statue kept its nickname of ''les quatre sans culs'', ("the four without arses", which sounds in French similar to the title of the best-known movie by ''nouvelle vague'' director François Truffaut: ''Les quatre cents coups'', "The 400 Blows"). A total restoration was done between December 2014 and July 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=2014 -2015 : Travaux de restauration complets|url=http://www.chambery.fr/2611-2014-2015-travaux-de-restauration-complets.htm|access-date=22 June 2016|language=fr|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044035/http://www.chambery.fr/2611-2014-2015-travaux-de-restauration-complets.htm|archive-date=4 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Others=== {{Unreferenced section|date=January 2023}} [[File:Chambéry Cathédrale Saint-Francois-de-Sales Intérieur Nef Est 1.jpg|thumb|Chambéry Cathedral]]

The Cistercian Abbey of Hautecombe, founded in 1135, is one of the burial places of the rulers of the House of Savoy. Saint Francis de Sales officiated at Notre-Dame de Myans (established before the 12th century). Francis I of France went to Notre-Dame de l'Aumône at Rumilly in the 13th century as a pilgrim. The Sisters of St Joseph, an order founded at Chambéry in 1812, devotes itself to teaching and charitable work, and today, its members are now spread worldwide.

The cathedral of Saint Francis of Sales in Chambéry presents one of the best examples of Savoyard ''trompe-l’oeil'' paintings and the largest in Europe. It also houses an organ listed as a historic monument, as well as an identical replica of the Holy Shroud gifted by the Archbishop of Turin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cathédrale Saint François de Sales |url=https://www.chamberymontagnes.com/fiche/cathedrale-saint-francois-de-sales/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Chambéry Montagnes |language=fr-FR}}</ref> The original had resided in the ducal chapel in Chambéry between 1466 and 1578.

Chambéry is also the administrative headquarters of the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie.

==Education== The Savoy Mont Blanc University (a.k.a. Chambéry University) is a university founded in 1979 with one campus in Annecy and two around Chambéry. It has about 15,000 students.

Chambéry has a campus of the Arts et Métiers ParisTech (ENSAM) engineering graduate school, which created a research institute in 1994 there. It offers doctoral and master programs in the field of mechanical and industrial engineering.

Chambéry is also home to the INSEEC Business School, a French business school which offers Master in Management – Grande école program educational system.

==Transport== thumb|Chambéry-Challes-les-Eaux station The city is served by Chambéry Airport, located {{convert|10|km|0|abbr=on}} north of the city centre. The airport only provides direct routes to the United Kingdom. Other nearby airports are Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, located {{convert|87|km|0|abbr=on}} south east and Geneva Airport, located {{convert|88|km|0|abbr=on}} north of Chambéry.

The Chambéry-Challes-les-Eaux station provides rail connections.

From 1892 to 1932, the Chambéry tramway, a narrow-gauge steam tram network, connected the town with its surroundings.

==Military== thumb|13th Battalion of ''Chasseurs Alpins'' on parade in downtown Chambéry. Chambéry is home to the 13th Battalion of the ''Chasseurs Alpins''.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

==Demographics== In 2022, 60,251 people lived in the city, while its metropolitan area had a population of 263,919.<ref name=compar/>

{{Historical populations | align = none | cols = 2 | percentages = pagr | source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|7760|Chambéry}}</ref> and INSEE<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8643952?geo=COM-73065#tableau-POPREF_G1 Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023], INSEE</ref> | graph-pos = bottom |1793 |11425 |1800 |10800 |1806 |11991 |1822 |11236 |1838 |15916 |1858 |19035 |1861 |19953 |1866 |18835 |1872 |19144 |1876 |18545 |1881 |19622 |1886 |20916 |1891 |20922 |1896 |21762 |1901 |22108 |1906 |23027 |1911 |22958 |1921 |20617 |1926 |23400 |1931 |25407 |1936 |28073 |1946 |29975 |1954 |32139 |1962 |44246 |1968 |51056 |1975 |54415 |1982 |53427 |1990 |54120 |1999 |55786 |2007 |57420 |2012 |58039 |2017 |58919 |2023 |59964 }}

==Vermouth== Chambéry is an AOC region for Chambéry vermouth, where the Dolin and Routin brands are made.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vermouth boom |url=https://punchdrink.com/articles/vermouth-boom-told-by-three-iconic-brands-cocchi-dolin-miro/ |website=punchdrinks.com |date=15 January 2018 |access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref>

==Sports== * Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc Handball * Chambéry SF * Stade Olympique Chambérien Rugby.

==Notable people== Chambéry was the birthplace of (chronological order): * Thomas, Count of Savoy (1178–1233), who buys the city, with the exception of the castle, to Viscount Berlion de Chambéry, 15 March 1230.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Savoy, House of | volume= 24 | pages = 254–256; see para 2|quote=Thomas I.. |short= 1}}</ref> * Amadeus V, Count of Savoy (ca.1252 - 1323), who buys in 1295 the castle of Chambéry, which will become the main county residence of the House of Savoy. * François de Candie (ca.1314–1360), 1st Viscount of Geneva, nobleman and military commander of the Royal Guard of Savoy, Lord of the Chateau of Rumilly, and Salagine. * Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy (1383–1451), Pope Felix V from 1439 to 1449.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Felix (Popes) | volume= 10 | pages = 238–239; see para 5|quote=Felix V., the name taken by Amadeus (1383–1451), duke of Savoy..... |short= 1}}</ref> *Joseph Colon Trabotto (c. 1420–1480), Jewish scholar, talmudist, and rabbi. * César Vichard de Saint-Réal (1639–1692), novelist.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Saint-Réal, César Vichard de | volume= 24 | page = 43 |short= 1}}</ref> * Amédée-François Frézier (1682–1773), engineer, mathematician, spy, and explorer * Benoît de Boigne (1751–1830), military adventurer in India.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Boigne, Benoît de | volume= 4 | page = 139 |short= 1}}</ref> * Joseph de Maistre (1753–1821), conservative political philosopher and critic of the French Revolution.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Maistre, Joseph de | volume= 17 |last1= Saintsbury |first1= George |author1-link= George Saintsbury | pages = 445–446 |short=1}}</ref> * Xavier de Maistre (1763–1852), soldier and author.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Maistre, Xavier de | volume= 17 | page = 446 |short= 1}}</ref> * Luigi Federico, conte Menabrea (1809–1896), Italian prime minister and general.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Menabrea, Luigi Federico | volume= 18 | page = 108 |short= 1}}</ref> * Simone Antonio Saint-Bon (1828–1892), admiral of the Italian ''Regia Marina'' (Royal Navy).<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Saint-Bon, Simone Arturo | volume= 23 | page = 1018 |short= 1}}</ref> * Pierre Lanfrey (1828–1877), historian and politician.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Lanfrey, Pierre | volume= 16 | pages = 170–171 |short= 1}}</ref> * Pierre Pendaries (1893–??), World War I flying ace * Michel de Certeau (1925–1986), Jesuit and scholar * Louis Besson (1937-2026), mayor of Chambéry and French minister for housing<ref name="Monde">{{cite web | last=Rey-Lefebvre | first=Isabelle | title=Louis Besson, ancien ministre socialiste, créateur du droit au logement, est mort | newspaper=Le Monde|language=fr|location=Paris|trans-title=Louis Besson, former socialist minister, creator of the right to housing, is dead|publisher=Société Editrice du Monde|issn=1950-6244 | date=2 April 2026 | url=https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2026/04/02/louis-besson-ancien-ministre-socialiste-createur-du-droit-au-logement-est-mort_6676175_3382.html | access-date=2 April 2026}}</ref> * Jean-Michel Roddaz (born 1948), historian * brothers Renaud Capuçon (born 1976) and Gautier Capuçon (born 1981); violinist & cellist * Grégory Lemarchal (1983–2007), French singer and winner from the reality TV programme Star Academy in 2004 * Olivier Giroud (born 1986), French international footballer and striker for American Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC * Michaël Rossi (born 1988), racing driver * Marion Allemoz (born 1989), captain of the France women's national ice hockey team and first French player to play professional women's hockey in North America

==Twin cities== {{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}

Chambéry is twinned with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Villes en coopération|url=https://www.chambery.fr/937-villes-en-cooperation.htm|website=chambery.fr|publisher=Chambéry|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-20}}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=20em}} *{{flagicon|GER}} Albstadt, Germany *{{flagicon|CAN}} Blainville, Canada *{{flagicon|BFA}} Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso *{{flagicon|CAN}} Shawinigan, Canada *{{flagicon|ITA}} Turin, Italy *{{flagicon|CHN}} Zhangjiakou, China {{div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Chambéry}} *{{wikivoyage inline|Chambéry}} *{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Chambéry | volume= 5 | page = 622 |short= 1}} *[http://www.chambery.fr/ Official website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambery}} Category:Chambéry Category:Communes of Savoie Category:Prefectures in France