Site des Marquisats
Monument
Site des Marquisats, located in Annecy (Département 74), is a modern edifice built in the 19th-20th centuries. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Modern (19th-20th century)
- Location
- Annecy, Département 74, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.8936, 6.1345
- Mérimée Reference
- PA74000056
A major work by André Wogenscky, a disciple of Le Corbusier, this Brutalist complex on the shores of Lake Annecy embodies the Corbuséan architectural promenade applied to the popular culture of the Trente Glorieuses.
History
In the heart of a twelve-hectare setting sloping down to the shores of Lake Annecy, the Site des Marquisats is one of the most coherent and ambitious examples of French Brutalist architecture. Designed by André Wogenscky, one of Le Corbusier's most loyal collaborators, the complex brings together on the same site a former Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture, an international visitors' centre, an auditorium and a gymnasium, all organised according to the principles of the "architectural promenade" so dear to the master of modernism. What distinguishes Les Marquisats from the mass of public facilities built in the 1960s and 1970s is precisely the coherence of its vision: the buildings don't just house functions, they show them off. Continuous ramps, walkways, cantilevered volumes and accessible roof terraces create a fluid pathway where visitors are constantly on the move, in touch with the surrounding lake and mountain landscape. The panoramic view of Lake Annecy and the surrounding Alps, framed by large windows and external walkways, transforms every journey into a visual experience. Now shared by the École Supérieure d'Art d'Annecy (ESAA), the Brise-Glace - a venue dedicated to contemporary music - a gymnasium and accommodation, the site welcomes thousands of students, artists and spectators every year. The diversity of its current uses echoes the initial ideal of a space open to all cultural and sporting practices, with no hierarchy between disciplines. Listed as a Historic Monument in 2024 and awarded the Remarkable Contemporary Architecture label, the site is now entering a phase of gentle rehabilitation entrusted to the VURPAS agency, which specialises in heritage. The challenge is to restore the original fluidity of the route while adapting the buildings to contemporary standards of accessibility and energy efficiency. A technical challenge that illustrates the complexity of passing on 20th-century heritage.
Architecture
The Site des Marquisats is fully in keeping with the post-war Brutalist movement, a direct descendant of Corbusé's principles: raw concrete, flat roofs, stilts, panes of glass and, above all, an architectural promenade. Building W, designed by Wogenscky, takes the form of a long horizontal volume anchored in the slope, to which two residential towers have been added. This asymmetrical, dynamic composition interacts with the topography of the site and the views over Lake Annecy, transforming every angle of view into a natural tableau framed by the architecture. Building M, designed by Louis Miquel, takes the logic of continuous movement even further: its internal organisation is based on a network of ramps that link the different levels seamlessly, replacing the staircase - a discontinuous sequence - with a fluid, physical progression through the space. The central hall, the focal point of all these movements, is the beating heart of the building. The auditorium, gymnasium and multi-purpose rooms revolve around this core, accessible without ever losing the thread of the journey. The structure rests on stilts that free up the ground floor and allow a transparent view of the natural terrain beneath the building. The Résidence Wogenscky (formerly the Centre Colbert), set slightly apart from the main complex, has a more restrained template but shares the same construction vocabulary: exposed concrete, modenature punctuated by loggias and sunbreakers, and a careful relationship between fullness and emptiness. The site as a whole, with its twelve hectares of land sloping gently down to the lake, forms a landscaped park that amplifies the promenade effect intended by the architects, making each external path a natural extension of the internal circulation.
Related Figures
André Wogenscky (1916-2004) — architecte, disciple et chef d'atelier de Le Corbusier, concepteur principal du Site des MarquisatsLouis Miquel (1913-1987) — architecte, élève de Le Corbusier, concepteur du bâtiment M (deuxième tranche, 1968-1974)Le Corbusier (1887-1965) — maître de référence dont les principes (promenade architecturale, pilotis, toit-terrasse) irriguent toute la conception du siteAgence VURPAS — architectes du patrimoine chargés de la réhabilitation contemporaine du siteLa Ville d'Annecy — maître d'ouvrage ayant acquis et développé le site à partir de 1962
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Site des Marquisats located?
Site des Marquisats is located in Annecy, Département 74 department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, France.
When was Site des Marquisats built?
Site des Marquisats dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Site des Marquisats open to visitors?
Site des Marquisats is currently closed to visitors.