ALPHONSE DE LAMARTINE

The famous poet Alphonse de Lamartine saved a young lady from drowning in October 1816, and had a love affair with her in Aix-les-Bains. They agreed to meet again the following summer on the shores of the Lake. But the young lady was ill and unable to come to the agreed meeting-place. Lamartine, sad and lonely, wrote a poem which is a well-known work of French literature: "Le Lac".

FISHING

Currently, 34 species of fish are present in the lake, including the arctic char, reckoned to be the best freshwater fish, and the Le Bourget pollan, an endemic species. Over and above the waterfowl and amateur fishermen, fishing is carried out by ten professionals who carry out small-scale net fishing which provides them with their living,as they have no other professional activities.

THE SAVIERES CANAL

The Le Bourget Lake is supplied with water at its southern end by two rivers, the Leysse and the Sierroz. The main current runs towards the north, the water flowing into the Rhône via the picturesque Savières Canal, which is 4.5km long. It is the only watercourse in Europe whose current can change direction over its whole length quite naturally during major rises in the river level. As the Lake then has water coming into it from the rivers to the south and the Rhône to the north, its level can rise by several metres.

CHANAZ

The canal joins the Rhône on the territory of the village of Chanaz. This village, which has been restored in a very pretty way, and which used to be on the frontier between independent Savoie and France, has been able to keep its authentic character which is associated with water traffic. It is one of the 100 French villages listed as "Historic Villages".

The Upper Rhône Lock

THE UPPER RHONE CANAL

During the 1980s, the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône carried out substantial development work. The level of the Upper Rhône Canal has been raised by 4m and a lock has been built to enable boats to reach this enormous navigable waterway.