
History of the Chamonix valley
Land of the Celts, Ligurians, Centrons, Allobroges, Romans, Burgundians, … It was not until the 18th century that the fame of this small mountain village and its “glacières” spread throughout Europe. Thanks to the story of two young English aristocrats, William Windham and Richard Pocock, who discovered the priory of “Chamouni” in 1741 and fell under its spell.
From then on, people from all over the world travelled to discover the superb beauty of this part of French Alps. Tourism and luxury hotels developed, and then the advent of road infrastructures in 1901 (railway and carriageway) began to enhance the valley’s reputation.