Alpe d'Huez: the Sarenne Gorges by e-bike

The Alpe d'Huez Museum of History and Archaeology, the only structure in a high-altitude resort to be classified as a "Musée de France" and associated with the Bandes archaeological site, recounts the long history of the village of Huez and its mountain pastures, from the Middle Ages to the present day.Having been awarded the "Musée de France" label by the French Ministry of Culture in 2003, the museum has been presenting visitors with two new displays since December 2022, including the permanent exhibitions "Le spectacle de la montagne" and "Brandes et la ruée vers l'argent des XIIe et XIIIe siècles". There's also a space dedicated to the Second World War, with the exhibition "Eté 1944. Le Maquis de l'Oisans". 3 PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS: "LE SPECTACLE DE LA MONTAGNE", "BRANDES ET LA RUEE VERS L'ARGENT DES XIIE ET XIIIE SIECLES", "ETE 1944. LE MAQUIS DE L'OISANS". These exhibitions punctuate the visit to the Musée d'huizat: "The Mountain Show Presented from December 2022, this permanent exhibition reveals the story of the transformation of the "Vieil Alpe" mountain chalets into hotels, forming an internationally-renowned high-altitude tourist resort from the 1980s-90s onwards. Featuring 4 chronological "kiosks" (or immersive cubes), richly illustrated with photographs retracing the periods 1923-1939, 1945-1973, 1974-1989, 1990-2022, this immersive presentation reveals to the curious the spectacular evolution of Alpe d'Huez through its pioneers (Moulin, Chaix, Chalvin, Collomb families, personalities such as M. Rajon, J. Pomagalski, J. Paganon etc.), the apogee of the "Vieil Alpe" and the transformation of the "Vieil Alpe" into a high-altitude tourist resort.), the heyday of the traditional family-run hotel business from the 1930s to the 1960s, sporting events such as the Tour de France cycling race (which arrived in Alpe d'Huez in 1952 with Fausto Coppi's victory, followed by Dutch, Spanish, French and English victories in the decades that followed), new snow-related activities such as snowboarding in the 1980s, summer skiing on Sarenne in the 1960s, and ever-increasing events such as the Tomorrowland Winter electronic music festival (since 2019). In addition, the urban theme and the multifaceted architectural development of the resort are highlighted in the exhibition by the possibility of manipulating a touch table (historical and 3D models of the resort's neighborhoods) and an interactive terminal highlighting several players in this boom, which in some respects resembles a real city. The built heritage of Alpe d'Huez (hotels, ski lifts, public buildings, Rif Nel, "international" style buildings, neo-Savoyard chalets, etc.) is depicted, as are future real estate projects. Finally, films from the Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (leisure activities in the 1950s, the role of developers in the 1970s, the inauguration of the Pic Blanc bobsleigh run and cable car in the 1960s and 70s, and the bobsleigh competition at the Grenoble Olympic Games in February 1968) attract the attention of adults and children alike. "Brandes and the silver rush of the 12th and 13th centuries". Looking around Alpe d'Huez today, who would believe that in the Middle Ages, a human community made up of men specialized in mining, women and children, settled on the Brandes plateau, at the foot of the Saint-Nicolas rock, in order to extract silver ore from the mountain's subsoil at an altitude of over 1800m? And yet, from the 12th to the 14th centuries, these inhabitants of the mining village of Brandes (the highest in Europe for this period) lived there year-round, despite the difficult climatic conditions from November to April. This technical history (pre-industrial development of Western Europe and nascent metallurgy) and human history were revealed by archaeological digs carried out since 1977 by archaeologist Marie-Christine Bailly-Maître, her teams of scientists and volunteer students. The discoveries made during these excavations (mining techniques, production of the silver dust that is Brandes' finished product for making the coins of the dauphin - lord of the Dauphiné - religious practices and daily life, construction of an original watchtower with its "shell-keep" architecture) led to the creation of the "Maison du Patrimoine" in 1982, which became the "Musée d'Huez et de l'Oisans" and then, in 2023, the "Musée d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'Alpe d'Huez". The museum was awarded the title of "Musée de France" in 2003, and moved to the AgorAlp (the former Palais des Sports et des Congrès de l'Alpe d'Huez, on the 1st floor) in 2012. A new scenography presenting the archaeological collection is visible, contextualizing the artifacts found above and below ground with models and photographs. Guided tours of the Archéo-site" are offered in summer by the Museum. "Summer 1944. The Oisans Maquis". Let's not forget the extraordinary adventure of the Oisans Maquis during the Second World War. If the mountains seem to be an unspoilt area, sometimes tragic, often heroic events took place in the Massif des Grandes Rousses, and in Oisans more generally. Alpe d'Huez was home to a military hospital run by the Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur (FFI), first in Huez and then in the Signal chalet, an annex of the Grand Hôtel. "Faced with the advance of the German army and its desire to control the Oisans (following the capture of the Vercors in July), doctor and surgeon Tissot ordered the evacuation of the wounded under his care in mid-August 1944. This marked the start of a slow and difficult ascent for the sick, some of whom were in critical condition, and for the hospital staff, up to the heights of the Alpette and the slopes of the Grandes Rousses. They received welcome help from the crew of a Boeing B-24 Liberator, "11 Americans who fell from the sky" (an expression coined by Pierre Montaz, himself a member of the French Resistance): the crash of their bomber over the commune of Prunières near Gap prompted them to cross the Oisans at the end of July 1944. They provided invaluable assistance to the FFI withdrawal. Protecting the wounded from the military hospital as they climbed to higher ground, the armed Oisans maquisards engaged in a fierce battle on the heights of the Alpette against a division of German Alpine fighters. They emerged victorious on August 14, 1944, with no loss of life. Relive this landmark event in mountain Resistance history through richly illustrated educational panels and objects from the collections of the Musée de l'Alpe d'Huez and the Association des Amis et Anciens Descendants du Maquis de l'Oisans. TO FIND OUT MORE "Visite-flash": discover museum objects in a different way! Tuesdays from 4:30 to 5:00 pm - FREE - December to April CULTURAL EVENTS Activities (free nocturnes, visit to Pic Blanc and the Ice Grotto / "flash visit" of the Museum's exhibitions (Tuesdays, 30 minutes, 4:30-5pm, on registration at the Museum / guided tour of the Notre-Dame des Neiges church) are organized during the winter season at the Museum, from December to mid-April). For further information, call 04 76 11 21 74 or e-mail accueil.musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr GUIDED TOURS OF PIC BLANC (3330m), NOTRE-DAME-DES-NEIGES CHURCH, MUSEUM => Guided tour of the Pic Blanc and its exceptional panorama (3330m altitude) Visit accompanied by a guide covering a wide range of subjects: 3-star Michelin Green Guide panorama, history of the resort and skiing, information on geology, landscape, fauna, flora, glaciers, history of the Alpe d'Huez resort... No walking, maximum 20 people per visit (access by Pic Blanc cable car). Every Tuesday and Thursday in winter, from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. How to get there: meet in front of the Pic Blanc gondola ticket office (formerly DMC, at the top of the resort, 1850m above sea level, after the Pistes traffic circle on the right; payment at the ticket office and meeting in the same room with guide Frédérik Tane). Tour prices: please contact SATA (04 76 80 30 30); visit of the Ice Grotto (2700m) possible in winter. Information and registration required at Musée de l'Alpe d'Huez: 04 76 11 21 74 or accueil.musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr In winter and summer, other tours are offered by the Service culturel de la commune d'Huez - Alpe d'Huez, with registration at the Museum (limited places, on registration at the Museum, by e-mail or telephone at accueil.musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr -; 5€ or 3€; 04 76 11 21 74): => Guided tour of the Notre-Dame des Neiges church (Wednesdays, 2:30 - 4:00 pm; history, architecture, furnishings and stained-glass windows of this remarkable Le Corbusier-style religious and cultural building). From December to April, the Museum also offers : => "VISITE-FLASH": discover the museum's objects in a whole new way! (Tuesdays from 4:30 to 5:00 pm; history of the resort from the Middle Ages to the present day): FREE, FROM 5 YEARS OF AGE, registration recommended at the Museum (1st floor of AgorAlp; 04 76 11 21 74; accueil.musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr); duration: 30 minutes. FINE ARTS EXHIBITIONS: ANNE AUVERGNE ROOM In the Salle Anne Auvergne (AgorAlp, 1st floor, the Museum's temporary exhibition room), take advantage of its newly refurbished volume and brightness to enjoy exhibitions of watercolors, paintings, sculptures, engravings, digital works, photographs, etc. for one winter. FREE ENTRY; new exhibitions every 3 weeks WORKSHOPS WITH THE ARTIST for children and adults on the techniques exhibited; €5 or €3/person; information available at the Museum (on site or by calling 04 76 11 21 74).