• Cultural

Exhibition "Alpine Refuges. From makeshift shelters to high-altitude tourism"

Discover the alpine refuges that welcomed the first adventurers, tracers of routes to the highest summits. With the rise of tourism, they have become guarded lodgings, witnesses of the relationship between man and his mountain.

Cultural Exhibition "Alpine Refuges. From makeshift shelters to high-altitude tourism" Saint-Gervais-les-Bains

About

On Saturday 09 March 2024 from 14:00:00 in 18:00:00
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (74170)

By the end of the 19th century, natural shelters were no longer sufficient for mountaineers, who built refuges at strategic points on their ascents. Built with materials found on the spot or assembled on the backs of men, they consisted of a single room with basic furnishings. Later, in the 1960s, the heliport revolutionised the architectural profile of the refuges, their comfort and their supply.
The guardians are the "soul" of their hut, and they pass on the values of sharing that still nourish our imagination. They welcome hikers, offer a hot meal, and alert the emergency services to a worrying delay. Recent constructions, concerned with energy autonomy, do not alter the image of this conviviality, but often irritate those nostalgic for the refuges of yesteryear.
Authenticity versus modernity? Are mountains becoming a lost paradise, as evidenced by the worrying melting of the glaciers?
For some, it remains a space of freedom, for others, who use the refuge as a place to go for a walk, it is also a wonderful place for leisure and cultural encounters. Photographs, videos, filmed portraits, an interactive map, models, prototypes of the Tonneau refuge by Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret and the Refuges of tomorrow created by Refuge Remix, enliven this exhibition.

The exhibition presented at the Maison forte de Hautetour, in Saint-Gervais in 2022-2023, was created at the Musée Dauphinois in Grenoble and was on view in 2020-2021. The partnership between these two institutions, which are strongly committed to the promotion of mountain heritage, now allows the exhibition to have a new visibility in the heart of the Mont Blanc massif.

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    Prices

    Full price: 5 €, Reduced price: 3.50 €.

    Free entry for children < 5 years.

    Reception

    Languages spoken : English, French

    Dates

    From 10/02 to 08/03/2024
    Opening hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 2 pm and 6 pm.
    Open every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

    From 09/03 to 07/04/2024
    Opening hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 2 pm and 6 pm.

    From 09/04 to 05/05/2024, every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 2 pm and 6 pm except on May 1st.

    Access

    Maison Forte de Hautetour Maison forte de Hautetour 114 passage Montjoux Saint-Gervais 74170 Saint-Gervais-les-Bains

    The easiest way to come to La Maison forte de Hautetour is to park your car in the free parking 2KM3 in the center, and then come by foot.

    • Accessible for wheelchairs with assistance
    • Accessible for self-propelled wheelchairs
    Motor Disability

    Information update on 05/03/2024 by Office de Tourisme de Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc