Annecy

Sister cities

• Vicenza
• Bayreuth
• Sassandra
• Liptovský Mikuláš
• Cheltenham
• Sainte-Thérèse

History

Le vieil Annecy ("Old Annecy"; not to be confused with Annecy-le-Vieux, formerly a neighboring town but now merged into Annecy), was a settlement from the time of the Romans. Annecy was the court of the counts of Geneva or Genevois from the 10th century. It passed to the counts of Savoy in 1401. In 1444, it became the regional capital of the provinces of Genevois, Faucigny and Beaufortain. With the advance of Calvinism, Annecy became a centre for the Counter-Reformation, the old Bishopric of Geneva being transferred to it in 1535. Francis of Sales was born in Sales, France in 1567 and served as bishop of Annecy from 1602 to 1622; his relics are preserved in the cathedral. During the French Revolution, the Savoy region was conquered by France. Annecy became attached to the department of Mont Blanc, whose capital was Chambéry. The Catholic diocese was suppressed in 1801. After the Bourbon Restoration in 1815, Annecy was returned to the King of Sardinia and the Catholic diocese restored in 1822. The Hôtel de Ville (city hall) was completed in 1851. When Savoy was annexed to France in 1860 with the Treaty of Turin, it became the capital of the new department of Haute-Savoie. Annecy was the site of the second round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) talks in 1949. In 2012, a multiple murder occurred in the Annecy area. A new municipality was established on 1 January 2017 with the merger of the former communes of Annecy-le-Vieux, Cran-Gevrier, Meythet, Pringy and Seynod.

Geography

The Fier forms part of the commune's northwestern border. The surrounding mountains are Mont Veyrier, Mont Semnoz, La Tournette and Parmelan. Annecy has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) despite its relatively far inland position. Influenced by its elevation, summers are rather moderate on average, although they can be highly variable with extreme heat spikes. Winters see occasional freezing temperatures, but temperatures most often stay in the single-digits centigrade during the daytime with frequent cold rain. Air frosts are normal during the night and snowfall is not uncommon.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,837
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,229
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,094
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,937
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,615
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,548
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,117
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,630

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2026-01-12
  4 km SSW of Les Houches, France
• M 3.3 — 2025-05-06
  8 km W of Chapareillan, France
• M 3.3 — 2022-09-25
  7 km ESE of Ar?ches-la-Frasse, France
• M 4.5 — 2022-03-12
  3 km S of Faverges, France
• M 3.4 — 2020-06-23
  11 km ESE of Samoëns, France
• M 3.2 — 2017-11-17
  10 km NNE of Saint-Rémy-de-Maurienne, France