CHAMBRY

town, capital of Savoie dpartement, Rhne-Alpes rgion, southeastern France. It lies in the Leysse Valley between the massifs of Beauges and La Grande Chartreuse, northeast of Grenoble. The Roman station of Lemincum gave its name to the Rock of Lmenc, which overlooks the town on the north. In the 14th century the counts of Savoy made Chambry their capital. In 1792 it became the capital of Mont Blanc dpartement under the French Revolutionary government. It was returned to the house of Savoy by the treaties of Paris and Vienna and in 1860 was joined to France after a plebiscite. The northern part of the town, which was badly bombed in 1944, has been rebuilt with wide streets, but the southern sector retains its 17th-century aspect, with reminders of the 15th and 16th centuries. The 12th-century ducal chteau, rebuilt in the 15th century, reputedly sheltered in its Sainte-Chapelle the Holy Shroud from 1502 to 1578. The country house at Les Charmettes, 1 mile (1.6 km) south, was the home of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Madame de Warens. The Museum of Savoy in the town contains historical documents relating to the house of Savoy, while the Museum of Fine Arts has a fine collection of Italian paintings. Chambry possesses many centralized functions in commerce, rail transportation, air transportation, and others. The University of Savoy was created in 1970. The town's industry, long stagnant, has revived: in addition to metallurgy and construction materials, there are now glass-fibre, confectionary, and shoe factories. The urban development of Chambry is merging with that of neighbouring Aix-les-Bains. Pop. (1990) 55,603.