The Village

At the end of a busy day Chatel’s lively streets offer everyone the chance to enjoy themselves. Shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, cinemas and bowling alley, as well as an ice rink, indoor pool, late night skiing, and regular entertainment.

There are 38 working farms which contribute to the village’s economic development and make Châtel an authentic mountain village, which has gradually expanded while still respecting the environment. The hotels, residences and large wood and stone chalets have been built in complete harmony with the mountain style.

History timeline

 1946 - Vonnes drag lift
 1953 - Super Châtel chair lift
 1954 - Morclan drag lift
 1956 - Corbeau et Coq drag lifts and Morclan chair lift
 1963 - Super Châtel 2-Man Gondola lift
 1964 - Municipality purchases the first Piste Basher, Chalet Neuf drag lift, first French/Swiss liaison
 1967 - First stage of the Linga Gondola constructed with the help of numerous volunteers from Châtel
 1968 - Second stage of the Linga Gondola lift
 1975 - Keysets drag lift
 1978 - Combes chair lift
 1979 - Pré la Joux chair lift, Crêt drag lift
 1981 - Rochassons chair lift
 1982 - Morclan chair lift, Chaux des Rosées chair lift
 1983 - Linga chair lift second stage, l’Aity drag lift
 1985 - Cornebois chair lift, Super Châtel 10-Man Gondola lift
 1986 - Linga 10-Man Gondola lift
 1988 - Plaine Dranse chair lift, Petit Châtel chair lift, Barbossine chair lift
 1990 - Forgne drag lift
 1998 - Pierre Longue 4-man detachable chair lift
 2000 - Cornebois 4-man detachable chair lift
 2002 - La Chaux des Rosées 6-man detachable chair lift
 2004 - Pré-la-Joux 6-man detachable chair lift
 2006 - Les Combes 6-man detachable chair lift
 2009 - L’Echo Alpin 6-man detachable chair lift
 2010 - Mountain Dam retaining 130 000m3 water
 2012 - Rochassons 6-man detachable chair lift with semi-automatic safety bar

Chapels

Walking around the village you’ll often see an oratory or a chapel, and the Abondance valley is rich of them as it has 20 chapels and over 70 oratories, without talking about the crosses.

There are nine oratories in Châtel:
 - The Petit Châtel oratory.
 - The Essert oratory.
 - The Bechigne road oratory.
 - The Pré-la-Joux oratory.
 - The Ste Agathe oratory.
 - The Essert bridge oratory.
 - The Boudimes oratory.
 - The Barbossine oratory.
 - The Super-Châtel oratory.

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