Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval
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Aerial view of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval
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 Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval
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Location within Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region
Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval
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| Coordinates: 46°03′21″N 6°46′35″E / 46.0558°N 6.7764°ECoordinates: 46°03′21″N 6°46′35″E / 46.0558°N 6.7764°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Haute-Savoie | |
| Arrondissement | Bonneville | |
| Canton | Samoëns | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2014–2020) | Stéphane Bouvet | |
| Area1 | 119.07 km2 (45.97 sq mi) | |
| Population (2014)2 | 773 | |
| • Density | 6.5/km2 (17/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 74273 /74740 | |
| Elevation | 728–3,099 m (2,388–10,167 ft) | |
| Website | http://www.sixtferacheval.com | |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is a municipality in the Haute-Savoie department within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It is located at the end of the Giffre Valley and set in an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. Although the Cirque du Fer à Cheval has made Sixt famous, other attractions including the Cascade du Rouget waterfall, named "Queen of the Alps" and a nature reserve cover most of the district's geographical area. Its architectural heritage is exemplified by the priory and church stemming from the former Sixt Abbey, founded by Ponce de Faucigny.
The area of the town ranges in altitude from 728 to 3,098 metres (2,388 to 10,164 ft); three-quarters of its area (9,200 hectares out of 11,200 total) are part of a natural reserve and completely uninhabited.
The name Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval comes from the shape of the natural amphitheatre ("Cirque du Fer à Cheval") which, from above, looks like a horseshoe. Located in the Natural Reserve of Sixt, the Cirque du Fer à Cheval, classified a Grand Site de France is a favored destination for 500,000 visitors each year.
The heart of the village is the parish of the Abbaye. Sixt is divided into 12 parishes, along the two main rivers called Giffre des Fonts also called "Giffre-Haut" (Upper Giffre), and Giffre du Fer à Cheval. The Giffre river, a tributary of the Arve, has its source in Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, coming from a few hundred waterfalls in the nearby mountains.
Four of the twelve parishes are located between the parish of the Abbaye and the Cirque du Fer à Cheval (Les Curtets, L'Echarny, Le Molliet, Nambride). The seven other parishes are located between the parish of the Abbaye and the Rouget Waterfall, in the upper Giffre valley (Maison Neuve, Salvagny, Passy, Le Fay, Hauterive, La Chapelle, and Englène). Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is linked to the Samoëns' valley through one sole road.
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Wikipedia