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| 2446 Faverger - Peasants plowing at early 20th century |
Faverges is a commune (since 2016 Faverges-Seythenex) located in south-east of France, in the glacial valley which gave birth to the Lake Annecy. It has a very rich history, that extends until the end of the ice age, when the waters of the lake joined the river Isère and the people settled the lakeshores and sunny slopes. In roman times, the vicus of Viuz was an important stop along the road which ran from Turin to Geneva. In the Middle Ages, pre-industrial metalworks were renowned for their iron and copper tools and jewelry.
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| 2447 Faverger - Mechanical sawmill with steam at early 20th century |
Numerous forges were built along the rivers from which they derived some of their energy needs. In 1811, the Faverges castle (built around 1250) was turned into a cotton-weaving factory, thus launching Faverges into the Industrial Revolution. This is a fitting heritage for a town whose name derives from the Latin faber, fabricae (manufacture). Faverges now has several important factories providing some 2,500 jobs, which is remarkable in that the commune has only some 7,000 inhabitants.
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