Facing the Mer de Glace, this mythical mountain hut, now the Grand Hôtel Montenvers, is one of the jewels of France’s Alpine heritage. Built at the end of the 18th century at an altitude of 2,000 metres, it is considered the first sanctuary in history: it welcomed Goethe, Chateaubriand, Dumas and many writers in search of inspiration. Victor Hugo almost perished in a crevasse, Pasteur conducted experiments here, and Shelley had a vision of Frankenstein.
The hut is accessible by a cog railway unique in France, in operation for over a century. Indispensable for the hotel, it supplies it daily with goods and guests.
Today, at the heart of the Chamonix high-mountain ecosystem, the Hotel du Montenvers remains a haven for climbers and hikers. Once the scene of some of the world’s greatest mountaineering feats, glaciologists now come here to observe the glacier’s inexorable retreat.