The tourism adventure
Like many other alpine valleys, Sixt Fer à Cheval was 'discovered' as a tourist attraction by the English, charmed by the splendours that Mother Nature had accumulated in this village.
From the 18th century onwards, Sixt was visited by various men of science, in particularly geologists and naturalists. However, as with Chamonix the real tourist boom started with the arrival of the British.
In 1854, Sir Alfred Wills, barrister with the Court of London and founding member of the Alpine Club, discovered and fell in love with the valley. Soon after, Sir Alfred Wills had the 'Nid d'Aigle' (Eagles Nest) built in the Cirque des Fonts at an altitude of 1400 metres. Every year, he welcomed a small group of British tourists into this Chalet. The inhabitants of the village gradually began to take advantage of this new craze for mountaineering.
At first they offered their services as freelance mountain guides before forming a company around 1856 and the Sixt Company of Mountain Guides was founded in 1865, soon after the companies of Chamonix and St Gervais.
In 1899, in the hamlet of the Molliet, Pierre Marie Moccand, known as 'Pierre au Merle' opened up a coffee shop - museum called 'Aux Merveilles de la Nature' (The Wonders of Nature). Here he exhibited stuffed animals, unusually shaped tree roots, pottery and various ornaments. He installed a carousel powered by water from the river, created a footpath giving access to the waterfalls and published a collection of postcards. The exhibition of postcards organised each year pays tribute to this pioneer.
Soon came the building of mountain refuges, the railway that linked Annemasse to Sixt Fer à Cheval, the first ski lifts and tourism became an economic activity.
Different guided tours organised for individuals and groups by the local heritage guides will enable you to discover much about the history of the village and to visit the abbey. A tour of the various chapels will enable you to discover the nine little buildings of which two are to be found up in the mountains, one in the alpine village of the Font and the other in the pastures of Sales.