Salève: set out to discover an unsuspected heritage

No less than twelve «cross-border»  itineraries are offered in the «Guide de découverte du patrimoine transfrontalier» . Amidst these paths across the fields, the itinerary of Salève - the rocky island that overlooks the Genevan basin - recounts a beautiful love story between man and nature. A walk which, after a small detour through the hamlet of Sierne, its stately homes and Jewish cemetery, takes you through Veyrier where you can discover the medieval church of Saint-Maurice and the castle built by the Count of Veyrier in the 18th century. Following this, you reach the Salève summit by cable car: an outstanding panorama awaits you there, as well as exceptional plant and animal life.

In fact, species like the yellow-bellied singing toad and the Apollo butterfly, which are almost extinct, can still be found there. The Salève cliffs are also known to be a refuge to the chamois and the peregrine falcon, which, if you are lucky, you might catch sight of. The path then unfurls into a beech grove situated on the northern side, a paradise of coolness, where many bats are found. Ideal for a small break, the village of Monnetier-Mornex includes a 12th century priory, rebuilt at the end of the 19th century in neo-Gothic style. The last leg of this 10 km walk: the impressive slope down the Pas de l’Echelle; this is actually a long succession of steps cut into the rock, which the lord of Mornex fortified in 1375 to ensure their maintenance. A thousand-year-old path which existed well before the rack and pinion train bearing the same name, which itself dated back to the end of the 19th century, and well before the cable car built in the 1930's.

Informations:

To locate Veyrier, click here