Albertville

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Administration
Commune of Albertville Image:Albertville savoie.JPG View of Albertville
Location
Coordinates	45°39.9167′N 6°22.7167′E
Country	France
Région	Rhône-Alpes
Département	Savoie (sous-préfecture)
Arrondissement	Albertville
Canton	Chief town of 2 cantons: Canton of Albertville-Nord Canton of Albertville-Sud
Mayor	Albert Gibello (UMP) (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	328 m–2,030 m (avg. 352 m)
Land area¹	17.56 km²
Population² (1999)	17,340
- Density (1999)	988/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	73011/ 73200
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).
Image:Flag of France.svg

Albertville is a town and commune in southeast France, in the Savoie département, in the French Alps. The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Trivia
4 Twinnings
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Albertville is situated on the Arly River, close to the confluence with the Isère River. Its altitude is between 345 and 2,037m.

Nearby mountains include: Belle Etoile, Dent de Conse, Négresse, Roche Pourrie, Mirantin, Pointe de la Grande Journée, and chaîne du Grand Arc.

Nearby mountain ranges include: the Bauges; the Beaufortain; and the beginning of the Vanoise.

Image:Conflans01.jpg

[edit] History

Albertville was founded in 1836 by the Sardinian king Charles Albert. It also consists of the medieval town of Conflans, which has buildings dating back to the 14th century. Since then, Albertville has developed trade between France, Italy, and Switzerland; and industries such as paper mills and hydroelectricity can be found on its river.

The 1992 Winter Olympics were organised in the Savoie region, with Albertville hosting it. Some of the sports venues have since been reformed for other uses. Some sports venues still remain such as the ice rink designed by the architect Jacques Kalisz, although the town is more industrial than touristic.

In 2003, the town was labelled a "Town of art and history".