Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Chambéry railway rotunda, built between 1906 and 1910 by the Compagnie des chemins de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM), is an industrial masterpiece of the early twentieth century. With its 108 metres in diameter, it was designed to house up to 72 locomotives, responding to the boom in rail traffic around Chambéry. Its metal structure, inspired by Gustave Eiffel's techniques, was made by the Magnard workshops of Fourchambault (Nièvre). The foundations, adapted to local swamps, rest on piles of 8 meters high, surmounted by masonry and concrete.

Relatively spared during the 1944 bombings, the rotunda underwent a major restoration in the 2000s, financed by SNCF, the Conseil Général de la Savoie, and local projects like Grand Lac. The work preserved its original metal frame, reconstructed identically with hot rivets, a rare technique. Today it is one of the two French rotundas still completely closed at 360°, with its central dome intact.

Ranked a historic monument in 1984 and labeled a 20th century heritage in 2005, the rotunda now houses a Centre d'interpretation de l'architecture et du patrimoine (CIAP). This place values its industrial history and its role in the Alpine railway network, notably through exhibitions during Heritage Days, attracting up to 4,500 visitors. Symbolic locomotives, such as 2CC2 3402 or CC 20001, are preserved by associations such as APMFS.

Located 500 metres from Chambéry-Challes-les-Eaux station, the rotunda is located in a mixed environment, between industrial areas (such as the former Saint-Gobain factory), residential areas (Beauvoir, England), and natural areas (Boisse Hill). Its monumental architecture, combining stone, metal and glass, bears witness to the railway engineering of the period, while integrating into the Chamberian urban landscape.

The guided tours, organized by the service Ville d'art et d'histoire de Chambéry, allow you to discover its historical functioning, its workshops, and its role in the maintenance of the trains of the Maurienne line. The rotunda remains a symbol of Savoyard industrial heritage, linked to the history of the PLM company and the evolution of transport in the Alps.

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