Magasin
Monument
Magasin, located in Annecy (Département 74), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Annecy, Département 74, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00118355
In the heart of Annecy, this 19th-century shop combines Savoyard bourgeois architecture with commercial elegance. A rare testimony to the prosperity of the lake-side merchants of the Belle Époque, it is listed as a Historic Monument.
History
Nestled in the urban fabric of Annecy, one of the most attractive towns in the French Alps, this 19th-century shop is a precious architectural testimony to the economic boom that transformed Savoie after it became part of France in 1860. At a time when retail trade was becoming the driving force of urban life, Savoie's major landowners and merchants invested in carefully designed facades, showcasing their success as much as their wares. The building is part of an architectural tradition typical of prosperous Alpine towns in the second half of the 19th century: ordered facades, large bay windows on the ground floor for displaying products, entresols with small-paned windows and residential floors with wrought-iron balconies. This functional superposition - shops below, homes above - perfectly reflects the social and economic organisation of the Savoyard merchant bourgeoisie. What makes this building so special is precisely its ability to embody a pivotal moment in Annecy's history: the period when the town, freed from its status as Sardinian capital, opened up to French influences and developed its own commercial identity, combining Savoyard tradition and Haussmann-style modernity. Its partial protection as a Historic Monument, decided in 1984, reflects official recognition of its intrinsic heritage value. The tour will give you a real insight into how retail life was organised in an Alpine town in the throes of change, far from the major metropolises but deeply connected to the regional commercial circuits - draperies, delicatessens, hardware stores - that punctuated the daily lives of the people of Annéci during the Second Empire and the Third Republic. Framed by the canals and cobbled streets for which the "Venice of the Alps" is famous, the building is set in an exceptional urban environment, where every stone tells a page of Alpine history. A must-see for anyone who wants to understand Annecy beyond the postcard image.
Architecture
The building is part of the bourgeois commercial architecture of the second half of the 19th century, typical of Alpine towns that experienced economic growth under French influence. The façade, designed to attract the eye and assert the solidity of the establishment, probably combines a base with large bay windows - allowing goods to be displayed in shop windows - and upper floors punctuated by mullioned windows or windows with moulded frames, characteristic of the Napoleon III style disseminated from Paris. The materials used reflect the Savoyard building tradition: local ashlar, grey limestone with golden highlights, is probably the raw material for the frames and decorative elements, while rendering covers the common parts of the walls. The ironwork - balcony railings, lambrequins and locks - adds a touch of industrial elegance typical of the period when cast iron and wrought iron were taking over urban decoration. The roof, probably made of slate or flat tiles according to Alpine custom, crowns the whole with a discreet but neat profile. Inside, the typical plan for this type of establishment organised the space into a vast sales room on the ground floor, with a wooden floor, carved wooden counters and wall-mounted shelving, with vaulted cellars for storage. The building's partial protection as a Historic Monument suggests that some of its interior features - woodwork, decor and structures - have survived successive modernisations and are still of remarkable heritage interest today.
Related Figures
Négociants savoyards anonymes du Second Empire, initiateurs de la modernisation commerciale d'Annecy après 1860Architectes locaux annéciens de la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle, héritiers des traditions piémontaises et formés à l'école françaiseVictor Emmanuel II, roi de Sardaigne puis d'Italie, sous le règne duquel Annecy développa ses premières ambitions commerciales avant l'annexionNapoléon III, dont le rattachement de la Savoie à la France en 1860 transforma durablement le tissu économique et architectural d'AnnecyInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques des années 1980, qui identifièrent et protégèrent cet édifice par l'arrêté du 28 décembre 1984
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Magasin located?
Magasin is located in Annecy, Département 74 department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, France.
When was Magasin built?
Magasin dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Magasin open to visitors?
Magasin is currently closed to visitors.