The Aix-les-Bains racecourse, this love of horses dating back to the Belle Époque

Today, when we talk about Aix les Bains, one immediately thinks of Bourget laketo the thermal baths, the palaces, or the elegant promenades inherited from the Belle Époque. Yet, another story has profoundly marked the identity of the city: that of horses.

For nearly a century, the horse races These events constituted one of the great social spectacles of the spa town. They attracted European aristocrats, wealthy industrialists, crowned heads, owners of prestigious stables, and ordinary spa-goers seeking both entertainment and the beneficial properties of the waters. Even today, the Marlioz racecourseIn Aix-les-Bains, the only racecourse in the French Alps remains, a living witness to a time when Aix-les-Bains rivaled Deauville, Vichy or Pau in the world of elegant leisure.

When spa visitors discover a passion for horses in Aix-les-Bains

In the 19th century, Aix les Bains is experiencing spectacular growth. The therapeutic virtues of its waters attract an increasingly wealthy clientele from all over Europe each year. Russian princes, British aristocrats, Lyon bourgeois, and royal families frequent the thermal establishments of Aix.

The town quickly realized that a modern spa resort couldn't just offer treatments. Visitors also wanted entertainment. casino appears, concerts multiply, the scenic walks They develop and the first sports facilities appear.

Horses naturally find their way into this landscape.

The first horse races events organized in Aix-les-Bains date back to 1872. They then took place in the Marlioz thermal parkThe success was immediate. In a Europe where races are at once a sporting spectacle, a social event and a place for fashionable encounters, Aix-les-Bains has all the assets to develop this activity.

Elegant women in long dresses come as much to admire the horses as to be seen. Men discuss breeding, betting, and politics. The terraces fill up. A new kind of social interaction is emerging.

Marlioz: the south of Aix-les-Bains is becoming the district for elegant sports.

When you look at a map of Aix-les-Bains around 1900, you immediately understand how the city was organized.

The spa and casinos occupy the heart of the resort. Walks along the Bourget lake are being developed. To the south, in the Marlioz plain, a veritable district dedicated to sports and leisure activities is gradually taking shape. The archives show that the local authorities wished to offer their clientele the most fashionable activities of the time: golf, tennis, horse riding, horse racing and even pigeon shooting.

This development is not insignificant.

At the Belle ÉpoqueSport is becoming a social marker. Playing tennis, attending races or practicing golf is not just a leisure activity, but also a way of belonging to a certain European elite.

Marlioz then becomes the great playground of this cosmopolitan society.

The first modern racecourse is inaugurated on June 29, 1884 on its current location. The track is surrounded by elegant grandstands. Very quickly, stables, technical buildings and various reception areas complete the complex.

Around the racecourse, other facilities then appeared. A velodrome was built at the end of the 19th century. A nine-hole golf course designed by the English architect Edward Hesson opened at the beginning of the 20th century. Tennis courts completed the complex. this exceptional set for the era.

In just a few years, Marlioz became one of the most important mountain sports centers in Europe.

The Marlioz racecourse: a picture-postcard setting in the heart of Aix-les-Bains

What is still striking today when you discover the Aix-les-Bains racecourse is its setting.

Unlike the large racecourses of the French plains, here the mountains are everywhere. The Bauges range closes the horizon to the east, while the Revard mountain overlooks the town to the north. The horses move about in a verdant setting where the Alpine peaks serve as a natural backdrop.

Chroniclers at the end of the 19th century already mentioned this privileged situation. At the inauguration in 1884, the press described a racecourse "in a delightful location that many more famous racecourses would envy".

The current track measures 1,540 meters with a 400-meter straight. Its profile allows for the organization of trotting, galloping and steeplechase racesThis versatility partly explains its longevity.

As the horses emerge from the final turn and sprint towards the stands, spectators simultaneously see the colorful racing silks, the mountains, and the tall trees of Marlioz Park. Few French racecourses can offer such a setting.

The glamorous social scene at the Marlioz racecourse during the Belle Époque

During the Belle Époque, the races in Aix-les-Bains went far beyond the sporting context.

They become major social events.

Posters from the era depict parades of flower-adorned cars, grandstands filled with elegant women, and lavish ceremonies organized around horse races. The famous "flower battles" were one of the highlights of the summer season.

The spa guests leave the thermal baths to join the racecourseHotels organize shuttle services. Shopkeepers benefit from the influx of customers. The whole city lives to the rhythm of the races.

Among the most prestigious figures associated with this period is the Aga Khan III. A passionate horseman, owner of renowned stables, and a regular at major European resorts, he made a significant contribution to equestrian influence of Aix-les-BainsHis influence was such that the future sports park built within the grounds of the racecourse would later bear his name.

This prestigious clientele further enhances the international image of the resort.

In an era where one travels for several weeks to complete a Spa treatment, racing becomes an essential part of the Aix-en-Provence experience.

Aix-les-Bains, a city that developed around the horse

The influence of the racecourse extends far beyond the boundaries of the track.

Urban archives show that the southward expansion of Aix-les-Bains directly accompanied the growth of equestrian and sporting activities. The avenues of Marlioz were extended. New establishments appeared. Leisure facilities proliferated.

The racecourse then acts as a true engine of urbanization.

Many professions revolve around horse racing: trainers, jockeys, veterinarians, farriers, breeders, restaurateurs, and artisans specializing in the maintenance of equestrian equipment.

The horse is becoming a fully-fledged economic player.

This dynamic continued into the interwar period, a period during which Aix les Bains confirms its status as a major international resort.

From the Belle Époque to today, the evolution of the Marlioz racecourse

The First World War brought a brutal end to this prosperity.

As everywhere in Europe, habits are changing. The grand aristocratic resorts are gradually declining. Yet, the racecourse survives.

He adapts.

Over the decades, the infrastructure has evolved. The tracks have been modernized. The stands have been renovated. The site also houses other sports facilities, notably the Aga Khan Sports Park, located within the racecourse itself.

This adaptability explains its remarkable longevity.

While many regional racecourses have disappeared, the one in Aix-les-Bains continues to organize its summer meetings.

A horse racing season that's still going strong

Today, the Aix-les-Bains Racing Society organizes several meetings each year between June and August. Visitors can attend a trotting or galloping race program in a setting that has remained remarkably well-preserved.

The atmosphere has changed. Long dresses have given way to summer outfits. Horse-drawn carriages have disappeared. Betting is now computerized.

But some sensations remain the same.

Le sound of hooves In the straightaway. The silence just before the start. The cheers rising from the stands as the horses enter the final turn.

The racecourse retains this special ability to suspend time.

Families come to discover a world they often know little about. Enthusiasts rediscover the charm of a human-scale racecourse. Casual strollers discover a little-known aspect of Aix-en-Provence's heritage.

The racecourse, a living legacy of the Belle Époque

When we talk about the heritage of Aix-les-Bains today, the thermal baths, the Grand Cercle casino or the luxury hotels naturally take center stage.

However, the Marlioz racecourse, that's what the Aix-les-Bains racecourse is really called, it also tells an essential part of the city's history.

It brings back memories of the time when Aix les Bains was part of the very exclusive circle of major European resorts. A time when people came here not only to heal, but also to see and be seen. A time when... elegant sports shaped urban organization as much as the thermal establishments.

The horse took part in this adventure.

And when, on a summer afternoon, the sun illuminates the stands at Marlioz as the horses race towards the Savoyard mountains, one only needs to close one's eyes for a moment to rediscover something of that Belle Époque which built the identity of Aix-les-Bains.

Photo credit:

Florian Pépellin, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons // https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Hippodrome_de_Marlioz_%28Aix-les-Bains%29.JPG

Softeis, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons//https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Horse-racing-4.jpg

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