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Yvoire (Municipality, Haute-Savoie, France)

by Nicolas Deprez

Presentation of Yvoire
Description of the flag of Yvoire

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Presentation of Yvoire

Yvoire is a small village located on the southern shore of the Lake Léman. The pointe d'Yvoire is the limit of the petit lac, the western part of the lake, mostly Swiss territory and often considered by the Genevans as "their" lake (lac de Genève), and the grand lac, which is larger and deeper. Four villages were built on the point of Yvoire, from west to east, Chens-sur-Leman, Nernier, Yvoire and Excenevex.

In the beginning of the XIVth century, count of Savoy Amédée V fortified the small fishers' village of Yvoire in order to control navigation between the two parts of the lake. Fortunately, Yvoire never became an important fortress and was spared the destructions of the wars involving France, Savoy and the Swiss states. Accordingly, Yvoire is today a wonderful medieval village, which has kept part of its city walls, two Gothical gates dated 1322 and a XIVth century fortress built on a small spur just above the lakeshore. The four-turrel donjon mirorring in the lake waters is the most famous view of Yvoire.

A brilliant description of Yvoire was given by the Swiss writer Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz (1878-1947) in his book Un coin de Savoie:

Il faut s'arrêter à Yvoire. C'est un village fortifié. Tout au bout de sa pointe et dominant le lac, il est étroitement serré encore dans son enceinte disparue ; j'entends qu'il n'a po