Birth of an elite spa town The springs of Evian were still rather unknown at the time of the
French Revolution. But the First Empire's interest for spa towns inspired a scientist to analyse the Evian springs in 1807 and 1808. A lakeside port and a new road (RN5) connecting the town to
Milan and
Paris were constructed in 1809. In 1823, Genevan entrepreneur M. Fauconnet launched the Évian mineral water company (''Société des Eaux Minérales d'Évian'') and purchased the city's two main springs (the better-known being the
Cachat spring named after the family that sold it) in March 1827. M. Fauconnet's company eventually went bankrupt, and the springs were bought by the Hôtel des Bains. In the following years, many
hotels (Hôtel des quatre saisons, Hôtel de France, Hôtel des Alpes) were built, helping the town's popularity as a holiday resort.
Golden Age of the Belle epoque and the Roaring Twenties The Cachat mineral waters SA (
Société Anonyme des Eaux Minérales de Cachat) was created as an
anonymous company in December 1859 by Parisian investors, selling Évian water, and in 1865 the small town changed its name to Évian-les-bains to promote its rise as a spa town. Three other springs joined the Cachat (Guillot, Bonnevie, Corporau). Improvement in transportation (a railroad station) helped make the town a more famous spa. In the late 19th century, the city contained more than 20 hotels. The hills and the lakeshore were covered with noble houses and luxurious villas and a
theatre and a
casino were built on the lakeside. In 1902, the baths were constructed and in 1909, the architect Hébrard built one of the most luxurious hotels: the Royal Hotel. Evian considers itself one of the top European spas, claiming popularity with high society figures such as Countess
Anna de Noailles,
Frédéric Mistral, the
Lumiere Brothers and
Marcel Proust. After
World War I, the city maintained its status as a high-class spa town, hosting socialites and royalty such as
Aga Khan III, the Maharaja of
Kapurthala,
Albert Lebrun (President of the République), King
George V of United Kingdom and King
Fuad I of Egypt. The
Évian Conference was convened in Évian in July 1938 to discuss the problem of
Jewish refugees. During
World War II, German forces occupied Évian and the town's statue of
General Dupas was removed.
Contemporary The
Évian Accords, which ended the Algerian War and recognized an independent Algeria, were signed there on 18 March 1962. The
G8 began its
29th summit meeting in Évian on 1 June 2003. From 26 to 30 August 2015 the 6th Annual Summit of the G-20Y Association was held there. Évian still derives funding as a holiday resort and spa town. ==Geography==