Le Grand-Bornand (French pronunciation: [lə ɡʁɑ̃ bɔʁnɑ̃]; Arpitan: Bornan) is a commune in the eastern French department of Haute-Savoie. The commune is a ski resort and takes its name from the river that runs through it. The inhabitants of Le Grand-Bornand are called Bornandins.

Le Grand-Bornand
The Roman Catholic church in Le Grand-Bornand, March 2006.
The Roman Catholic church in Le Grand-Bornand, March 2006.
Coat of arms of Le Grand-Bornand
Location of Le Grand-Bornand
Map
Le Grand-Bornand is located in France
Le Grand-Bornand
Le Grand-Bornand
Le Grand-Bornand is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Le Grand-Bornand
Le Grand-Bornand
Coordinates: 45°56′33″N 6°25′33″E / 45.9425°N 6.4258°E / 45.9425; 6.4258
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentHaute-Savoie
ArrondissementAnnecy
CantonFaverges
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) André Perrillat-Amédé[1]
Area
1
61 km2 (24 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
2,068
 • Density34/km2 (88/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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Located on the western slope of the Aravis mountain range not far from Mont Blanc, Annecy Lake and Switzerland, Le Grand-Bornand is a summer and winter resort which developed around an old village. Le Grand-Bornand is in a wide part of the valley which has allowed it to develop – the village of Petit-Bornand, located downstream, is in a narrower part of the valley. The commune of Le Grand-Bornand is made-up of three areas: the Bouchet valley, the Chinaillon valley and the village of Le Grand-Bornand located at the junction of the two valleys. The hamlet of Chinaillon to the north east of Le Grand-Bornand is the main ski centre. The valley of Bouchet is located upstream of the village along the course of the river Borne.

Climate

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Climate data for Le Grand-Bornard, 1430m (1991−2020 normals, extremes 2005−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 12.2
(54.0)
12.7
(54.9)
14.5
(58.1)
22.2
(72.0)
26.3
(79.3)
31.6
(88.9)
30.4
(86.7)
30.4
(86.7)
27.0
(80.6)
24.4
(75.9)
18.0
(64.4)
12.2
(54.0)
31.6
(88.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 1.4
(34.5)
2.3
(36.1)
5.7
(42.3)
9.8
(49.6)
13.4
(56.1)
18.0
(64.4)
20.6
(69.1)
19.8
(67.6)
16.4
(61.5)
12.7
(54.9)
6.5
(43.7)
2.5
(36.5)
10.8
(51.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) −1.7
(28.9)
−1.6
(29.1)
1.6
(34.9)
5.9
(42.6)
9.2
(48.6)
13.5
(56.3)
15.8
(60.4)
15.3
(59.5)
12.1
(53.8)
8.7
(47.7)
3.4
(38.1)
−0.4
(31.3)
6.8
(44.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −4.7
(23.5)
−5.4
(22.3)
−2.4
(27.7)
2.0
(35.6)
5.1
(41.2)
9.1
(48.4)
11.1
(52.0)
10.7
(51.3)
7.8
(46.0)
4.8
(40.6)
0.3
(32.5)
−3.2
(26.2)
2.9
(37.3)
Record low °C (°F) −17.4
(0.7)
−24.1
(−11.4)
−17.2
(1.0)
−10.5
(13.1)
−4.4
(24.1)
−1.4
(29.5)
1.5
(34.7)
2.3
(36.1)
−1.9
(28.6)
−8.9
(16.0)
−13.5
(7.7)
−17.1
(1.2)
−24.1
(−11.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 186.1
(7.33)
153.5
(6.04)
159.5
(6.28)
114.7
(4.52)
188.2
(7.41)
144.1
(5.67)
145.5
(5.73)
157.9
(6.22)
116.6
(4.59)
125.3
(4.93)
157.6
(6.20)
225.2
(8.87)
1,874.2
(73.79)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 13.1 11.6 12.4 10.2 15.4 12.3 10.5 11.3 9.4 9.8 10.9 13.3 140.3
Source: Météo-France[3]
Climate data for Grand Bornand, 1300m (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1968−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.0
(59.0)
15.0
(59.0)
19.5
(67.1)
22.0
(71.6)
27.5
(81.5)
32.0
(89.6)
33.0
(91.4)
31.6
(88.9)
27.0
(80.6)
24.5
(76.1)
19.5
(67.1)
15.5
(59.9)
33.0
(91.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3.4
(38.1)
3.8
(38.8)
7.0
(44.6)
10.4
(50.7)
14.8
(58.6)
18.8
(65.8)
21.0
(69.8)
20.8
(69.4)
16.7
(62.1)
12.8
(55.0)
7.1
(44.8)
3.9
(39.0)
11.7
(53.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.2
(31.6)
−0.2
(31.6)
2.8
(37.0)
6.0
(42.8)
10.2
(50.4)
13.9
(57.0)
16.1
(61.0)
16.0
(60.8)
12.2
(54.0)
8.7
(47.7)
3.6
(38.5)
0.5
(32.9)
7.5
(45.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.9
(25.0)
−4.2
(24.4)
−1.3
(29.7)
1.6
(34.9)
5.6
(42.1)
9.1
(48.4)
11.2
(52.2)
11.3
(52.3)
7.8
(46.0)
4.6
(40.3)
0.0
(32.0)
−2.9
(26.8)
3.2
(37.8)
Record low °C (°F) −25.2
(−13.4)
−22.0
(−7.6)
−21.1
(−6.0)
−12.6
(9.3)
−7.0
(19.4)
−1.5
(29.3)
1.1
(34.0)
1.0
(33.8)
−2.8
(27.0)
−9.5
(14.9)
−15.0
(5.0)
−20.0
(−4.0)
−25.2
(−13.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 184.0
(7.24)
158.6
(6.24)
158.4
(6.24)
145.5
(5.73)
169.9
(6.69)
157.4
(6.20)
149.4
(5.88)
162.1
(6.38)
147.4
(5.80)
158.1
(6.22)
177.3
(6.98)
215.0
(8.46)
1,983.1
(78.06)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 12.3 10.7 11.4 11.7 14.1 12.0 11.0 11.2 10.6 11.6 12.3 12.6 141.5
Source: Meteociel[4]

Nearby

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Nearby villages include Manigod, Thônes, La Clusaz, Saint-Jean-de-Sixt and the larger Chamonix and Annecy.

History

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  • 1569: Church fire
  • 1715: Opening of a school
  • 1755: End of the dispute with neighbouring village La Clusaz on the delimitation between the territories of the two villages
  • 11 March 1817: Violent earthquake causes property damage
  • 28 October 1923: Creation of a ski club, the "société des skieurs bornandins".
  • 24 August 1944: 76 troops from the Vichy government's militia, condemned to death on 23 August by a court martial of the French Forces of the Interior and after a parody of a trial, are publicly shot close to the Peseretaz wood. 44 were buried in a cemetery created on the spot in the Bouchet valley.[5]
  • 14 July 1987: A brutal and unforeseeable flood of the Borne river, following a violent storm over the mountain, submerges the valley and devastates in particular the campsite of Le Grand-Bornand. There 21 fatalities and two missing persons. The commune and the State were forced to compensate the families of the victims as the campsite had been located on the river floodplain.
  • 11 April 2003: property developer, Xavier Flactif, and his family are killed in their country cottage in Chinaillon by a neighbour, David Hotyat.[6]
  • 22 July 2004: The village is the finish for a stage of the 2004 Tour de France. Lance Armstrong wins after a stage of 204.5 km (127.1 mi) from Le Bourg-d'Oisans. He was later stripped of this and many other wins for doping.
  • 22 February 2006: Roddy Darragon wins a silver medal in a ski sprint at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and the following day, Sylvie Becaert takes the bronze medal in the biathlon.

Twinning

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Since 1997, Le Grand Bornand is twinned with Quiberon.

Place names

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Researcher toponymist and Ph.D. graduate of the Sorbonne, Jérémie Delorme, has listed, photographed and described, about 3 000 place names in the commune. 90% come from Latin, 8% come from Gaulish, 1% from Germanic and 1% from pre-Latin languages. A third of the names refer to former occupants. Names ending in "ière" are pre 16th-century and names ending in "lhon" are pre 5th-century.

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 1,533—    
1975 1,606+0.67%
1982 1,695+0.77%
1990 1,925+1.60%
1999 2,115+1.05%
2007 2,195+0.47%
2012 2,189−0.05%
2017 2,118−0.66%
Source: INSEE[7]

Administration

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List of successive mayors
Term Name
1971–1977 Jean Bastard Rosset
1983–1989 Pierre Pochat-Cottilloux
1989–2008 André Perrillat-Amédé
2008–2011 Gérard Perrissin-Fabert
2011–2014 Philippe Angelloz-Nicoud
2014–incumbent André Perrillat-Amédé

Places and monuments

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  • Church of the Virgin Mary of the Assumption: it has been confirmed this church dates from 1346. It was partially destroyed by a fire in 1569 and the bell-tower completely rebuilt in 1661. It was completely rebuilt in 1877. The bell-tower, finished in 1845, is remarkable for its Baroque outer shell.
  • Chinaillon chapel
  • Bouchet chapel
  • Nant-Robert chapel
  • Gramusset refuge
  • Maroly virtual lake
  • Militiamen cemetery

People

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Economy

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  • Tourism: ski resort. Le Grand-Bornand holds the award "Station verte de vacances" (Green holiday resort).
  • Winter sports: The station is highly rated for beginner skiers and family holidays. However, although there are a few good restaurants, there is minimal nightlife.
  • Agriculture: Le Grand-Bornand is one of the birthplaces of reblochon, a cheese produced from abondancière, tarine and montbéliarde cows raised on Crau hay.
  • Companies:
    • Aravis Boissons has manufactured Forclaz lemonade since 1870 according to the same, original recipe (water + sugar + bubbles)

Facilities

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Outdoor activities

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Events

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  • "To happiness of the kids", children's festival
  • "To each their turn" (June 2007) Publicity in schools by the organisers of the Tour de France, to develop the image of "the outer loop" for future generations of consumers.
  • July 15–16, 2007: Arrival of 7th stage of the Tour de France 2007 (Bourg-en-Bresse – Le Grand-Bornand) and departure of 8th stage of the Tour de France 2007, 165 kilometres between Le Grand-Bornand and Tignes.
  • Alps Mountain festival (at the beginning of August)
  • Ball of the conscripts, organized in May each year
  • Week of the mountain, discovering local fauna and flora. One evening is organized by the mountain security and the Office of mountain Guides. In 2007 it is from 21 to 27 July.

Tour de France

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Le Grand-Bornand has been the start town for three stages of the Tour de France, in 1995, 1999 and 2007. It was the finish of a stage in 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2013. Stage 8 of the 2021 Tour de France finished here.[8]

Finishes

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Year Stage Start point Distance (km) Stage winner Yellow jersey
2021 8 Oyonnax 151   Dylan Teuns (BEL)   Tadej Pogačar (SLO)
2018 10 Annecy 159   Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)   Greg Van Avermaet (BEL)
2013 19 Le Bourg-d'Oisans 204.5   Rui Costa (POR)   Chris Froome (GBR)
2009 17 Bourg-Saint-Maurice 169.5   Fränk Schleck (LUX)   Alberto Contador (ESP)
2007 7 Bourg-en-Bresse 197.5   Linus Gerdemann (GER)   Linus Gerdemann (GER)
2004 17 Le Bourg-d'Oisans 204.5   Lance Armstrong (USA)   Lance Armstrong (USA)

Departures

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Year Stage Finish point Distance (km) Stage winner Yellow jersey
2007 8 Tignes 165   Michael Rasmussen (DEN)   Michael Rasmussen (DEN)
1999 9 Sestrières 213.5   Lance Armstrong (USA)   Lance Armstrong (USA)
1995 9 La Plagne 160   Alex Zülle (SUI)   Miguel Induráin (ESP)

References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records" (PDF) (in French). Météo-France. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "Normales et records pour Grand Bornand (74)". Meteociel. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  5. ^ "The lost cemetery of Le Grand-Bornand". www.lefrancophoney.com. 23 August 2013. Archived from the original on July 21, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ "Affaire Flactif : Retour sur la tuerie atroce de David Hotyat... – Closer". 20 December 2018.
  7. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  8. ^ "Le Grand-Bornand dans le Tour de France" (in French). ledicodutour. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
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