Cluses - History

History

During the Middle Ages, a bridge was built on the Arve River. Travelers crossing the bridge soon stimulated trade in the area, and the first village was born at the center of the "cluse" (a narrow valley), situated between the mountains and the Arve River. Cluses became an independent commune on 4 May 1310. The Baron Hughes of Faucigny had an important role in the town's evolution as an independent commune.

In 1720, Claude-Joseph Balladoud introduced clockmaking in the Arve Valley, previously a farming community. Soon, family-owned workrooms and cottage industries emerged, supplying the main clock-making centres of Geneva. In 1848, the "Ecole Royal d’Horlogerie" (Royal school of clockmaking) was created, and precision clock manufacturing in the Arve Valley soon became a mainstay of the town.

On June 20, 1844, all of the town's wooden chalet-style buildings were destroyed in a fire. The town was rebuilt with new architecture, according to the style of Turin, Italy. This style is still represented in Cluses today, making the city particularly noteworthy in the region Haute-Savoie.