Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Palais Lumière, located at the Quai Charles-Albert-Besson in Évian-les-Bains (Haute-Savoie), is a former thermal establishment built between 1900 and 1902 by architect Ernest Brunnarius. He succeeded a first thermal building erected in 1827 on the Grand-Rue (now National Street), bought in 1858 by the Waters Society and restored in 1880 before its demolition. The new palace, built in reinforced concrete (Hennebique system), brick and stone, is distinguished by its central dome and two campaniles decorated with flaming sandstones created by ceramicist Alexandre Bigot. Its vestibule preserves wall paintings by Jean Benderly, while the lobby houses statues and stained glass windows.

Disused in 1986, the establishment is partially classified as a Historic Monument in the same year for its façade, lobby and vestibule. The city of Évian bought it back in 1996 and entrusted its renovation to architects Michel Spitz and François Châtillon. Reinaugurated in 2006 as a conference centre and exhibition centre, it has since hosted major cultural events, in connection with the neighbouring media library. Its restored architecture has found its dome and its campaniles, symbols of its thermal and artistic heritage.

The history of the Palais Lumière reflects the golden age of alpine spas in the early 20th century, where Evian-les-Bains, renowned for its mineral waters, attracted an easy clientele. The transformation of the building into a cultural space illustrates the adaptation of the industrial and seaside heritage to contemporary issues, combining historical preservation and tourist dynamism. The exhibitions organized since 2006, dedicated to artists such as Rodin, Chagall or Chaplin, highlight this new vocation, while honouring its thermal past.

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