This year marks the centenary of the Great War's armistice, an opportunity for us to revisit an important part of french History and share its memory.
Back to History
It was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo on 28th June, 1913, which carried European countries into a military conflict that would become "total".
On 28th July, 1914, the great war is declared. It will last 4 years, 3 months and 14 days.
The numbers are terrifying 60 million soldiers involved, 20 million people injured and 10 million civilians and military lost their lives.
It will also be marked by the "trenches" front line of 700 kilometers whose paths are dug in the ground, It is the place where the « Poilus » (nickname given to the French soldiers of the First War World.) were fighting, coming to shelter and protect themselves.
The Centennial Mission
In 2012, under the mandate of President Hollande, the government launched the Centennial Mission, a public interest group whose mission is to prepare and implement the commemoration program of the Centenary of the First World War.
Its prerogatives are based on three major axes:
- Organize commemorative highlights between 2014 and 2018
- Coordinate all the public and private initiatives implemented as part of the Centenary
- Inform and communicate on events organized for the general public
The fabulous treasure
Twenty years ago, PVG Group buys an authentic farm located in the Confins Valley. On the other hand, it is only in the spring of 2018 that the renovation work began on this building, which for over a century had been carefully guarding the treasure of its former owners, the Ruphy family. Farmers and producers of Reblochon, they had hidden in the roof the correspondence with their four sons, Germain, Joseph, Jean and François gone to the front. Almost 2,000 letters passed through time without the rodents or bad weather degrading them.
Souvenirs that
Maurice Vittoz, passionate about History, tells us with emotion when he discovered the treasure in an interview with
Dauphiné Libéré on 12th June, 2018:
interview.
A visit to the Chalet proposed by
Gaston Pollet-Villard, the new owner of the farm during a report broadcast on
France 3 Regions:
video.
But also the confidences of the descendants of the
Ruphy family to
TF1 journalists:
video.
The Farm becomes Le Chalet de La Douceur
In the heart of the Confins Valley, its windows open onto the Aravis Massif which offers breathtaking views in all seasons. A privileged location less than a kilometer from the start of the Balme ski area whose snow cover allows skiing from December to the end of April.
After several months of work, PVG Group will inaugurate in December a new page in the history of this famous farm. Newly renamed Le Chalet de La Douceur, it will offer two separate accommodation, a 90 m² apartment for 6 people and a 240 m² duplex for the happiness of 14 guests.
And so that the story is not forgotten, the accommodation will bear the name of Joseph and Germain and copies of the letters will be exposed on the walls.
More information on www.groupe-pvg.fr - presse@groupe-pvg.fr