Haute-Savoie

Haute-Savoie is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Geneva; to the south and southeast are Mont Blanc and the Aravis mountain range. It holds its name from the Savoy historical region, as does the department of Savoie, located south of Haute-Savoie. In 2019, it had a population of 826,094. Its subprefectures are Bonneville, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois and Thonon-les-Bains. The French entrance to the Mont Blanc Tunnel into Italy is in Haute-Savoie. It is noted for winter sports; the first Winter Olympic Games were held at Chamonix in 1924. History The historical region of Savoy was governed by the House of Savoy, the ruling dynasty of Savoy from 1032 to 1860. The Duchy of Savoy were rulers of the Savoy region from 1416 to 1720.