Haute-Savoie (French Alps)Plateau of Glières

The Plateau of Glières is a site of natural beauty steeped in WWII history. The Plateau of Glières is a semi flat basin surrounded by the roundish Auges and Frêtes Mountains. The plateau has an average altitude of 4,700 feet and has over 20 miles of cross-country skiing trails. The Plateau of Glières is closest to the villages of Petit-Bornand-les-Glières and Thorens-Glières about 20 miles from La Roche sur Foron. For winter 2011 there is a bus that runs between Annecy, Thorens-Glières and Plateau of Glières on Saturday and Sunday for €5 one way.

During WWII the Plateau of Glières was used for Allied parachute drops. This lead to a battle between the Maquis des Glières, part of the French Resistance and Vichy Militia/German troops in early 1944. The Maquis des Glières lost the battle but showed that the French Resistance could hold its own. As the 1,400 Vichy Militia who were sent to displace the 450 Maquis des Glières couldn’t fulfill their objective, 3,000 German soldiers were called in to win the battle. The German soldiers, thanks in part to bombing finally defeated the Maquis des Glières in March 1944 after almost two months of fighting.

Today the Plateau of Glières is in part a memorial to those who fell in the battle. Best visited in the summer or early fall there, the memorial - Monument National à la Résistance d'Emile Gilioli, is open to the public and walking trails. The memorial sculpture (photo above) was created by Emile Gilioli.

More photos of the Plateau of Glières.

Memorial marker.

Inside the memorial.

View of the plateau.

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