Annecy

Annecy È(n)neci (Arpitan)
Prefecture and commune
Clockwise from top: Lake Annecy seen from the Pont des Amours, Château d'Annecy, Passage de l'Île, Haute-Savoie prefecture building
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Annecy
Annecy Show map of France Annecy Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 45°54′58″N 6°07′59″E / 45.916°N 6.133°E / 45.916; 6.133
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Haute-Savoie
Arrondissement	Annecy
Canton	Annecy-1, 2, Annecy-3 and 4
Intercommunality	CA du Grand Annecy
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	François Astorg[1]
Area 1	66.94 km2 (25.85 sq mi)
• Urban	227.0 km2 (87.6 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	131,715
• Density	2,000/km2 (5,100/sq mi)
• Urban  (2018)	177,622
• Urban density	780/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Annécien (masculine) Annécienne (feminine)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	74010 /74000
Dialling codes	0450
Elevation	396–1,153 m (1,299–3,783 ft)
Website	www.annecy.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Annecy (US: /ˌænəˈsiː, ɑːnˈsiː/ AN-ə-SEE, ahn-SEE,^[3][4] French: [an(ə)si] ^ⓘ; Arpitan: Èneci, also Ènneci) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Geneva, Switzerland.

Nicknamed the "Pearl of the French Alps" in Raoul Blanchard's monograph describing its location between lake and mountains, the town controls the northern entrance to the lake gorge. Due to a lack of available building land between the lake and the protected Semnoz mountain, its population has remained stable, around 50,000 inhabitants, since 1950. However, the 2017 merger with several ex-communes extended the population of the city to 128,199 inhabitants and that of the urban area to 177,622,^[5] placing Annecy seventh in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Switching from the counts of Geneva's dwelling in the 13th century, to the counts of Savoy's in the 14th century, the city became Savoy's capital in 1434 during the Genevois-Nemours prerogative until 1659.^{[citation needed]} Its role increased in 1536, during the Calvinist Reformation in Geneva, while the bishop took refuge in Annecy. Saint Francis de Sales gave Annecy its advanced Catholic citadel role known as Counter-Reformation. The annexation of Savoy merged the city to France in 1860.

Sometimes called "Venice of the Alps",^{[citation needed]} this idyllic and touristic representation comes from the three canals and the Thiou river, which passes through the old city. The city experienced an industrial development in the 19th century with silk manufacturing.^{[citation needed]} Some of its industrial legacy remains today with the headquarters of NTN-SNR bearings, Salomon, Entremont and Dassault Aviation.

From the end of the 19th century, Annecy developed tourism around its lake summer facilities, winter resorts proximity and cultural attraction with its castle renovation and fine art museum opening in 1956 and the Animated Film Festival since 1963, hosted in Bonlieu's cultural centre. The municipal environmental policy managed to keep 40.3% of green spaces,^{[citation needed]} and the city was awarded the "Golden Flower" in 2015, given to the nine most-flowered French cities.