Bourg-Saint-Maurice

French commune
nomcommune=Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Bourg-Saint-Maurice main road
région=Rhône-Alpes
département=Savoie
arrondissement=Albertville
canton=Bourg-Saint-Maurice
insee=73054
cp=73700
maire=Damien Perry
mandat=2008-2014
intercomm=
longitude=6.76944
latitude=45.6175
alt moy=815 m
alt mini=744 m
alt maxi=3,823 m
hectares=17,907
km²=179.07
sans=6,747
date-sans=1999
dens=37
date-dens=1999

Bourg-Saint-Maurice (Latin: Bergintrum), popularly known as Bourg, is a commune of the Savoie "département", in France. It is the last large town along the Tarentaise valley in the heart of the French Alps.

History

Bergintrum was a place on the Gallic side of the pass of the Alpes Graiae, lying on the road marked in the Antonine Itinerary between Mediolanum (modern Milan) and Vienna (modern Vienne). D'Anville ("Notice, etc.") places it, according to the Table, between Axima (modern Aime) and Alpis Graia. The distance from Bergintrum to Axima is marked viiii M. P. The Alpis Graia is usually identified with a settlement at the watershed on the pass of the Little Saint Bernard, which divides the waters that flow to the Isère on the French side from those which flow to the Dora Baltea on the Italian side. This is the place which D'Anville names l'Hôpital, on the authority of a manuscript map of the country. D'Anville first proposed the identification of Bergintrum with Bourg-Saint-Maurice; although he acknowledged that xii, the distance in the Table between Bergintrum and Alpis Graia, does not fit the distance between Bourg-Saint-Maurice and l'Hôpital, which is less. Modern scholarship confirms the identification (see, e.g., Barrington|17).

Outdoor activities

Bourg-Saint-Maurice is part of the Paradiski ski area. Whilst there is no actual skiing at this altitude, it is conveniently linked to Arc 1600 by the 'Arc en Ciel' funicular railway and is therefore home to many budget rental properties. Unlike the other villages that make up Les Arcs, Bourg-Saint-Maurice is open all year.

Bourg is also a popular Summer destination, as it offers lots of opportunity for lovers of the outdoors and watersports. There is a whitewater slalom course on the Isere river used for international canoe and kayak competitions. The course on the Isere has been host to the ICF world championships and is used by many European teams as a training course in the summer. The course is often changed by the floods that occur during the winter months.

The surrounding mountains are good for walking and mountain biking. Some of Les Arcs ski lifts operate during July and August to get walkers to the higher peaks and you can take mountain bikes up on these. Mountain bikes ( VTT (Vélo Tout Terrain) in French) can be hired in both Bourg and Les Arcs. Some of the high altitude restaurants open in these months, the ones at Pre st Esprit and L'Arpete have small outdoor pools.

The nearest summer glacier skiing is in Tignes (approx 27km from Bourg) on the Grande Motte, however due to glacial recession it is now closed at certain times of the year.

There is a campsite in the town (Le Versoyen) which is located by two big supermarkets, and the town's open air (and indoor) swimming pool.

External links

* [http://www.ville-bourg-saint-maurice.fr/ Official site municipality of Bourg Saint Maurice (French/English)]
* [http://mysnowsports.com/cam Webcams from Bourg Saint Maurice Les Arcs updated daily]

References

*SmithDGRG