Lake Annecy identity card

Discovering Lake Annecy means giving yourself a passport to fitness and vitality, as well as to serenity and relaxation. First of all, it is to contemplate an exceptional landscape, composed of blue, green and white, clear water, forests and snow…

The panorama of the lake and the surrounding mountains is both gentle and full of Alpine character: the lake lies at an altitude of 447 m and is overlooked at its highest point by the breathtaking, armchair-shaped Tournette peak at 2351 m.

Here you are in harmony with Nature, which is left to its own devices, because the key words in this area, for more than 40 years, have been: “respect and protection”.

But these protected areas are also accessible for discovery and wonder, with the aim of achieving a reasonable harmony between the landscape, the inhabitants and the visitors!

Since the 19th century, tourists from all over the world have been visiting this world, which is now known all over the world. They are attracted both by its unique aesthetics and by the quality of the conservation efforts undertaken to preserve the lake and its surroundings from irreversible pollution.

Lake Annecy, a protected area for future generations

The efforts made since 1957 (foundation of the Syndicat Intercommunal du Lac d’Annecy) to restore the quality of its waters have earned Lake Annecy wide international recognition, consecrated by numerous honorary awards.

In 1957, the words “ecology” and “environment” did not yet exist, but these perfectly successful operations to save the lake, on the initiative of “visionary” Annecy residents, led by Doctor Paul Servettaz and Senator-Mayor Charles Bosson, received a great deal of media attention from the time of their first results, and they still do today.

This recognition and the frequent visits of international experts, who come to learn about the exemplary nature of this collective project, allow the inhabitants of the lake shore to feel a certain pride because they have supported these efforts to clean up the lake and have accepted and financed the gigantic works made necessary to guarantee the future.

The younger generations are constantly being taught here about the necessary precautions and respectful attitudes to adopt.

Tourism was immediately placed in this preservation perspective: the successive slogans “Annecy Lac Pur” and “Lac d’Annecy, l’Oxygène à la Source” were intended to draw the attention of visitors to these safeguarding efforts, and all the players in the tourism industry are involved in informing them of this example to follow.

In line with this, Lake Annecy’s application to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage list was submitted in 2008 by the Syndicat du Lac, representing all the municipalities along the lake, as a natural and cultural site.