The exhibition takes an in-depth look at the road’s history via over 200 artefacts and documents
The region’s mountain ranges opened up to motoring at the start of the 20th century. The French Touring Club took the suggestion made by Savoie General Council at this time and developed the ambitious project of creating a road linking Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean following the ridge line of the Alps. The road became the Route des Alpes, a “true triumphal way” taking the wonderstruck tourist from Evian to Nice, “from the elegant shores of Lake Geneva to the sunkissed French Riviera.”
The mythical road, opened in 1911, is over 600km long. It crosses five French départements (Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Hautes-Alpes, Basses- Alpes, now known as Alpes de Haute-Provence, and Alpes-Maritimes), wends its way up nine legendary mountain passes, five of which are over 2,000m above sea level, and positions itself as the world’s most stunning mountain roads.
The Route des Alpes offers stunning sweeping views along the length of its route, “crossing the most varied and striking landscapes, going through the high mountain plateaux where Edelweiss grows and leading to the verdant shores of Lake Geneva at one end and the sunny coastline and palm groves of the French Riviera at the other.” The Var Valley, Col de la Cayolle mountain pass, the Queyras mountain range, Vars mountain pass and Ubaye Valley, the Izoard, Galibier and Lautaret mountain passes, and finally Chamonix Valley, are some of the most remarkable sites along the route.
The exhibition takes an in-depth look at the road’s history via over 200 artefacts and documents from the town’s own collections and from a large number of external loans. It focuses on topics such as the building of the road and its route, the project’s movers and shakers, the early days of motoring and bicycle tourism, the first coach trips, the beauty and diversity of the landscapes along the route, and the links between sport and the Route des Alpes, notably with a local slant. The displays include advertising posters, including 30 stunning PLM posters, roadmaps, tourist leaflets, photographs, postcards and artefacts that evoke a journey along the road. All of these artefacts bear witness to the epic of the Route des Alpes. A video compilation of Gaumont-Pathé cinema newsreels rounds off the visitor experience.
The exhibition will most definitely make visitors want to discover or rediscover this extraordinary mountain road.
