Heritage trail

Often considered a natural rampart, the Alps are however not impassable. Through the presence of the Petit-Saint-Bernard, Bonhomme and Iseran passes, the Haute-Tarentaise valley has brought together important places of passage since prehistory. Since Antiquity, the Petit-Saint-Bernard pass has been a link between local Alpine populations. During the Roman conquest, Emperor Augustus completed the construction of the Roman road. Troops, sovereigns, pilgrims, merchants, bankers and peddlers cross paths on the roads. At the end of the Middle Ages, the County of Savoie controlled five crucial passes, including the Petit and Grand Saint-Bernard.

Les Arcs heritage trail

The Arc 1600 station, which benefits from the Remarkable Contemporary Architecture label, awarded since 2003 by the Ministry of Culture, wanted to present to residents and visitors the architectural and urban singularities of the station, opened at Christmas 1968.
A route following the pedestrian path, serving the buildings and shops of the resort, from the Mont Blanc chairlift to the Chalets Pointus, the visitor will discover seven panels - in French and English - illustrating in an educational manner the main characteristics of Arc 1600.

It can be found near the children's play area, at the top of the Coupole at Arc 1600.

Each panel is decorated with a sentence taken from the writings of Charlotte Perriand, allowing the visitors to immerse themselves in the approach that led to the design of the Arcs.

Het is te vinden in de buurt van de Kinderspeeltuin, boven la Coupole.

Op elk bord staat een zin uit de geschriften van Charlotte Perriand, waardoor de bezoeker kan begrijpen hoe het ontwerp van Les Arcs tot stand is gekomen.
 

    1- Pastoraal leven en het begin van het toerisme

    2- Kerstmis 1968, opening van Arc 1600

    3- De residence La Cascade, de principes van de architectuur

    4- Het stedenbouwkundig plan van Arc 1600

    5- De ontwerpers van Les Arcs

    6- Versant Sud en Adret, résidences op de helling

    7- De Chalets pointus (in vorm van een puntdak)

The themes have been selected to present the origins of the resort, les Arcs’ architecture and the team of designers:

- The history of the resort with the identification of the site in 1961, the design and surveys, the beginning of construction in 1967.

- The tiered architecture adopted to ensure the maximum sunshine in the buildings.

- The interior layout designed to favour relaxation and mountain living.

- The planning based on separating the movement of pedestrians, skiers and cars.

- The special relationship of each apartment with the mountains.

- The designers gathered around Roger Godino, Robert Blanc and Charlotte Perriand, each introduced by a portrait and a biographical note.

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50 Years of Les Arcs