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The City
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Welcome to Annecy, the jewel of the Haute-Savoie department. Between lake and mountains, between Italy and Switzerland, this city is blessed by a luxurious nature and bathed by a romantic light.
The medieval streets and arcades of the old town will let you feel like walking around in a fairy tale. Even if it was founded in the Prehistoric times and expanded by the Romans, the asset we know today is mostly due to the influence of the Dukes of Savoy, from the 15th century. Annecy was also a centre of the Calvinist counter-Reform which lead the Catholic Church to increase its presence in the city: as a result, several churches were built and a monastery was founded.
The Sardinian period, in the 19th century, led Annecy to its industrial revolution: a lot of factories were created, such as paper and clothing industries. Taken by France in 1860, the industrialisation kept on and the city started to become attractive to tourists.
Nowadays, Annecy is an influential city, turned mostly towards tourism and culture: the International Film Festival for Animation and the International Film Festival for Italian Movies are organised each year and attract thousands of visitors.
The medieval streets and arcades of the old town will let you feel like walking around in a fairy tale. Even if it was founded in the Prehistoric times and expanded by the Romans, the asset we know today is mostly due to the influence of the Dukes of Savoy, from the 15th century. Annecy was also a centre of the Calvinist counter-Reform which lead the Catholic Church to increase its presence in the city: as a result, several churches were built and a monastery was founded.
The Sardinian period, in the 19th century, led Annecy to its industrial revolution: a lot of factories were created, such as paper and clothing industries. Taken by France in 1860, the industrialisation kept on and the city started to become attractive to tourists.
Nowadays, Annecy is an influential city, turned mostly towards tourism and culture: the International Film Festival for Animation and the International Film Festival for Italian Movies are organised each year and attract thousands of visitors.