The village of Morzine is imbued with a unique character. Its chalets and houses have retained their traditional architecture, and the town still revolves around its central square with its numerous shops.
In 1900, Morzine was known for its slate extraction activity due to the nearby schist quarries. At that time, nearly two hundred slate workers operated mainly from November to May. With the development of tourism in Morzine, this activity gradually ceased.
Morzine, a Holiday Destination since the Early 20th Century
Précurseur, Morzine est, au début du XXème siècle, un lieu de vacances essentiellement estival. En 1936, la station possède 15 hôtels, 5 pensions, 60 chalets en location et un chalet de montagne. En été, la station peut recevoir 2 500 personnes et 1 800 en hiver. Morzine est alors la station du Chablais la mieux équipée. Depuis, elle a largement développé son offre hôtelière, avec plus de 40 hôtels sur le village, dont la plupart sont tenus par des familles de Morzine de génération en génération. Morzine est fière de son statut de station à l’accueil chaleureux.
Morzine, the Timeless Art of Mountain Living
When the Pléney cable car was inaugurated in 1934, no one could have imagined that the typically Savoyard village of Morzine would retain its charm decades later. Under its wooden houses and slate roofs, the locals warmly welcome visitors in a subtle blend of tradition and innovation. A winter destination in the heart of preserved nature, between forests and alpine pastures, where you can discover the art of mountain living.
Below are details about Morzine’s heritage. Explore or deepen your knowledge of Morzine’s history through its iconic sites, such as the old bridge, the manor house, and the slate mines.
No. 1 Village Square
You are now at the village square, also known as the “Old Town.” This historic square is surrounded by numerous significant monuments in Morzine: the Town Hall, the Church, the Old Post Office, the War Memorial, the Old Bridge, the Hall, the Hotel des Alpes, and other typically Savoyard buildings.
The War Memorial: Following the 1914-1918 war, communities erected memorials. Morzine chose its model: “The Poilu Marching to the Front Singing.” The cast iron and metal statue was sand-cast based on the original work of sculptor Charles Edouard Richelieu (1868-1945). The monument, inaugurated on October 2, 1921, honors 61 names.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 2 The Bézières
Now disappeared, the bézières were wooden channels placed on posts to transport water for the mills and sawmills. The photo shows the back of the town hall, the river, and two bézières. These channels required constant maintenance and large quantities of wood to cross terrain obstacles and contain the water’s force in the curves.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the seasonÂ
No. 3 The Mills
This neighborhood was formerly known as “The Village of the Mills,” lined by a canal that successively powered six wheels in cascade. Great care was taken with these wooden wheels to maximize the use of water, whose flow constantly varied due to seasons, storms, and droughts. Currently dismantled, a mill behind the sawmill produced the necessary energy for its operation. Several mills existed: flour mills, oil mills, hammers, and hemp beaters, etc.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 4 The Hotel des Alpes
A few hotels existed long before the development of tourism, such as the Hotel des Voyageurs, or the oldest, the Hotel des Alpes, founded in 1809. It welcomed travelers and passing merchants. This building has since been converted into apartments. The first holidaymakers, spa-goers, or day-trippers arrived in Morzine after World War I, primarily staying in the summer for fresh air. It was in the 1920s that winter tourism began with the first sliding sports, and in 1934, the construction of the Pleney cable car attracted the first skiers.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 5 Le Clos
The painter-sculptor Laurent Baud lived in this house. His studio, located along the Coutettaz path, still symbolizes this family of great artists: his father was a sculptor, and his brother was a drawing and painting teacher. Laurent, the best portrait artist of King Charles Albert, left a vast body of work in drawing, painting, frescoes, and sculpture.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 6 Post Office House
This building, located along the Udrezants road, housed the post office, a butcher shop, and a bistro. Near the town hall and the church, this place was a hub of social activity in the village.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 7 The Old Bridge
Once, this bridge was a wooden structure that spanned the Dranse River, serving as the main crossing between the two banks. It was accompanied by a covered wooden bridge that served as a hall. Regularly swept away by river floods, it was decided in the 1720s to build a sturdy stone bridge. During its construction, a new flood washed away the work in 1725. Ultimately, it became operational in 1729. The hall bridge was destroyed in 1957 due to old age.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 8 The Dranse
Of Celtic origin, this name means “running water,” violent, rapid. The Dranse River in Morzine springs from the Franco-Swiss border under the Bostan pass, in the region known as the Cursed Lands. Doubling the road, it winds through the entire valley for 30 km.
In the past, floods from the Dranse River caused damage throughout the valley, devastating many of the bridges crossing it. To protect homes, stone walls were built in the village crossing. However, this torrent was also a source of life and was vital to the economy, powering various mills (flour, oil), sawmills, hammers, and hemp beaters, etc.
In the foreground on the right, the wooden building is a forge. The background shows some houses from the village of La Salle and the completely untouched hillside designated for pastoral activities.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 9 The Plan Neighborhood
This place, located in the heart of the village, was once considered of little value: marshy land, unsuitable for cultivation, prone to flooding, with poor-quality grass for animals. Due to its location, it has become an essential neighborhood: the gendarmerie (1958) – the swimming pool (1970) – the sports hall (1976) – the post office (1984).
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 10 The Old Cable Car
This ski lift, with 28 pylons, was created in 1952 and equipped with 94 two-person cabins. Its operation abruptly ceased in 1964 due to a fire. A private initiative purchased this used equipment to develop this mountainside, paving the way for new ski areas toward Avoriaz.
No. 11 The Old Villages
This overview from the 1930s shows the right bank distinctly with the villages separated from each other: La Salle, Les Udrezants, Le Bourg. The upper part of the landscape is marked by the first gravel path leading to Avoriaz, which stopped at the Maisons de Zore.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 12 Avoriaz
Avoriaz comes from Evorée, meaning “the Alpage of Evorée,” as before being a major international ski resort, Avoriaz was a vast alpine pasture belonging to Morzine. It was a local resident, Jean Vuarnet (Olympic champion at the Squaw Valley Olympics), who initiated Avoriaz.
The project was launched in the 1960s, and the resort opened in 1966. It is a resort where skiing reigns, with no cars, featuring uniquely designed buildings organized into a village. Directly accessible from Morzine via the Prodains cable car, the Avoriaz ski area adds to those of Pleney and Nyon, significantly increasing Morzine’s tourist capacity.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 13 The Avoriaz Cable Car
The Avoriaz cable car was inaugurated on March 17, 1963, connecting Avoriaz to Morzine. It had a capacity of 80 people per cabin and could transport 1,000 people per hour, making it the fastest in the world at the time (1966). It was replaced by the current cable car, inaugurated in the late winter of 2012/2013, representing the most advanced technology in cable transport today.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 14 The Udrezants
Les Udrezants est un quartier morzinois qualifié autrefois de “village”, comme de nombreux quartiers de Morzine.
Ci-contre la chapelle : le curé Antoine Marullaz (1805-1877) entreprend la construction de la chapelle (1846-1847), dédiée à la Sainte vierge. Il acquiert la maîtrise de la forêt au dessus de la chapelle, pour assurer la protection du village.
On y trouve aussi des maisons de notables aussi appelé “Châteaux ” à Morzine :
– Le château avec cadran solaire fut la propriété de la famille de François Buet, maire de 1888 à 1931.
– Le château des Udrezants (1853) est également une maison bourgeoise de l’époque.
N°15 Téléphérique de Nyon
The residents of Morzine initiated this lift, opening access to skiers on the Nyon mountain (1960). Over the years, new facilities have connected this massif to the Pleney area and the Les Gets resort.
No. 16 Village des Nants
The tree-surrounded village (1910), grouped and distanced from the center of Morzine, is crossed by the future route of the Joux Plane pass road. The tall forest on the slope gives way to agriculture. A keen eye can discern the shapes of farms delineating horizontal plots about a hundred meters long.
No. 17 The Manor
Called “Château,” the Manor dates back to 1791.
No. 18 Le Bourg
The Old Bourg was the village center, housing the Town Hall, the Church, the Maison du Bourg, the War Memorial, etc. This is where the village square is located (ref.: Info sheet No. 1 “Village Square”).
No. 19 The Pleney Cable Car
Initiated by the residents of Morzine who secured the necessary funding, this project embodies the village’s pioneering spirit. In 1934, this lift was the second built in France after Chamonix. Continuously modernized, it services slopes equipped with snow cannons.
No. 20 The Grand Hotel
Constructed in the 1920s, the Grand Hotel was a true springboard for the resort, particularly due to its capacity: 4 stories with 70 rooms, located in the middle of the fields. Inaugurated in 1925, it quickly became a fashionable establishment, attracting a choice clientele, including many notable figures, even before the construction of the ski lifts (Pleney in 1934). In 1965, the Grand Hotel became the property of the Family Allowances Fund of Sarthe and later turned into the Hauturière residence.
Source: “History and Heritage” Association Morzine
Heritage Tour every Thursday at 10 AM during the season.
No. 21 The Plan Sawmill
The last operational sawmill… the water’s power fed a turbine. Fourteen sawmills produced boards and beams in the 19th century. The first turbine, replacing the mill wheel, dates back to the early 20th century. Currently, as part of heritage conservation, a traditional sawmill is being reconstructed with period mechanisms in the Dérèches park along the Dranse River.
No. 22 The Slate Mines
The valley of the slate quarries has thin layers of slate formed from rocks compressed over millions of years. The locals quickly utilized these stones, which split neatly for roofing houses. The first building to have a slate roof was the church in 1734. In the depths of the galleries dug into the rock, blocks are extracted and then transported out of the gallery to be split and cut into various sizes. This ongoing activity adapts to new markets, such as decoration.
No. 23 The Combe à Zorre
In the foreground, the Grand Hotel stands amid fields. At the bottom right, the outline of the road to Les Gets appears. The land currently occupied by the tourist office and its square is entirely untouched.
No. 24 The Two Basins
With abundant water, many basins serve the villages. Intended for both residents and animals, they are places for social interaction. The hand-carved wood is carefully selected to ensure it does not rot quickly.
No. 25 The Foot of Plagne
The chapel of the Foot of Plagne was built from 1806 to 1808 by Antoine Plagnat, dedicated to Saint Brigid of Sweden for her mystical revelations. The oven, attached to the village, mainly for bread-making, is heated only once a month to conserve wood, or every 15 days if production demands it. Today, they retain all their charm by contributing to local festivities.
