Cluses

Sister cities

• Trossingen
• Lachute
• Beaverton

History

During the Roman era, a bridge, was built across the Arve River. Travelers crossing the bridge soon stimulated trade in the area, and the first village was born at the center of the "cluse" (a narrow valley), situated between the mountains and the Arve River. Cluses became an independent commune on 4 May 1310. The Baron Hughes of Faucigny had an important role in the town's evolution as an independent commune. In 1720, Claude-Joseph Balladoud introduced clockmaking in the Arve Valley, previously a farming community. Soon, family-owned workrooms and cottage industries emerged, supplying the main clock-making centres of Geneva. In 1848, the "École Royale d'Horlogerie" (Royal school of clockmaking) was created, and precision clock manufacturing in the Arve Valley soon became a mainstay of the town. On 20 June 1844 all of the town's wooden chalet-style buildings were destroyed in a fire. The town was rebuilt with new architecture in the style of Turin, Italy (which was the capital of Sardinia-Savoy at the time). This style is still represented in Cluses today, making the city particularly noteworthy in the region Haute-Savoie.

Geography

The town is located in the Arve Valley, in the region Faucigny. Situated between Geneva and Chamonix, Cluses is located near a number of popular ski slopes.

Most-observed species

• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,232
• Black Redstart

  Phoenicurus ochruros (S.G.Gmelin, 1774) · Aves
  973
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  972
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  968
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  935
• Yellow-billed Chough

  Pyrrhocorax graculus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  897
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  817
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  792

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 3.2 — 2024-05-09
  9 km SW of Evolène, Switzerland
• M 3.3 — 2022-09-25
  7 km ESE of Ar?ches-la-Frasse, France
• M 2.7 — 2022-08-23
  4 km S of Turtmann, Switzerland
• M 4.5 — 2022-03-12
  3 km S of Faverges, France