Cran-Gevrier (; ) is a former commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune of Annecy.
Geography
Cran-Gevrier is in the west of Annecy. Part of the town is on a hill (hill of Gevrier). The hamlet of Cran was on the level of the Thiou river. The top of the hill of Gevrier is designated as a natural area.
The Fier forms most of the commune's north-western border.
History
The city draws its origins from two hamlets: Cran and Gevrier. There are two possible origins for each one of these names:
- Cran which means "notch" (permitted the establishment of a road between Boutae (Annecy) and Aquae (Aix-les-Bains), or between two rivers (river Thiou and river Fier).
- Gevrier, the oldest hamlet, got its name either from the Grabriaccus villa, or from the word "guivre", the name of a mythical snake whose role in tales is to keep treasures (one finds a snake rolled up around a sword on the blazon of the lords of Aléry).
The Romans were the first to settle on the hill. A Roman villa and a theatre were built there.
Partner towns
- Piossasco, Italy
- TrenÃÂÃÂn, Slovakia
- Bathgate, Scotland The twinning agreement between Bathgate and Cran-Gevrier was signed in March 2010. Since then, many different projects have been started up, including International Camps for young people (including young Italians from Piossasco) as well as school-to-school projects.
See also
References