Roc de Chère National Nature Reserve, National nature reserve on Lake Annecy, France
Roc de Chère National Nature Reserve is a protected area on the eastern shore of Lake Annecy with steep limestone cliffs and wooded slopes. The site contains diverse habitats with varying vegetation types and geological features along this lakeshore.
The forest of Chère is recorded between 1031 and 1032, when Queen Ermengarde of Burgundy granted it to the Abbey of Saint-Martin de Savigny. The monks of Talloires later logged the slopes for timber. The site was designated a national nature reserve by decree on 2 November 1977, the second in Haute-Savoie after the Aiguilles Rouges.
The name Chère comes from the pre-Indo-European root *car-, meaning a stony material or rock; because that sense was lost, "roc" was later added. The forest of Chère is recorded around 1031-1032, when Queen Ermengarde of Burgundy gave it to the Abbey of Saint-Martin de Savigny. A legend tells of Bernoline d'Angon, a young chatelaine who threw herself from the rock into the lake.
The reserve lies between Talloires and Menthon-Saint-Bernard on the eastern shore of Lake Annecy, and trails run along the rock above the lake. Several caves open at the base of the cliffs, including the Grand Pertuis facing the bay of Talloires, and can only be reached by boat. Rules forbid picking plants, collecting fossils, camping, dogs even on a leash, and overflight below 300 m.
The site supports more than 500 plant species, including types that normally grow at very different elevations. This diversity exists side by side, making it a particularly engaging place for plant enthusiasts.
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