Le palais

Le Palais, a sporting and leisure paradise, will soon turn 50!
entrée du Palais
Le Palais
allée Cavalière, entrée du Palais
Allée cavalière
entrée du Palais
Palais des sports road

Here’s some information about the history of this iconic Megève facility, a major sport and well-being hub for nearly half a century.

During the 1950s, Mégeve’s elected representatives came up with the idea of offering a wider range of leisure activities and developing a large sports facility for the area. Architects Edmond Fontayne and Maurice Novarina devised a centre that offered both summer and winter activities. This innovative project was approved in 1963. The Sports Centre was inaugurated in 1969…

In the decades that followed, the number of activities on offer expanded to accommodate new sporting practices. In addition to the ice-rink and covered pool, the centre now has indoor and covered tennis courts, a convention centre, an outdoor Olympic size pool and gym.
In 2003, the focus shifted to culture with the opening of the Media Library and a 140 seater auditorium. 2013 saw the opening of the Spa.

December 2016. The Palais des Sports centre has expanded yet again! A balneotherapy-fitness pool and outdoor water play area with slides and paddling pools has further enhanced the aquatic centre. The gym has become a genuine fitness centre with different activity zones and the latest machines. The refurbished climbing room features dozens of routes and more than 5,500 climbing grips.
The Palais des Sports centre is now the largest indoor leisure complex in the Alps, extending over some 30,000 m².

A sustainable sports complex

The Municipality of Megève is very concerned about the environment, and committed to using renewable energy at an early stage to reduce running costs and the environmental impact of the Palais sports centre.

A hydroelectric turbine in installed in the basement. The turbine, which is fed by excess water, abstracted locally, produces electricity which is used to power the building directly.
Heat pumps draw calories from the water passing through the turbine which are then used to provide the Media Library with heating and air-conditioning.

Heat generated by the ice-rink’s refrigeration systems is recovered and used to heat water for the indoor and outdoor pools, the gymnasium and covered tennis courts. The system is so efficient that even in mid winter, the temperature of the outdoor Olympic pool doesn’t fall below 10°C!
On the roof, 68 m² of solar thermal panels produce hot water for the cloakrooms in the Media Library and the rink’s ice-resurfacer.
And 32 m² of photovoltaic panels generate electricity that directly powers the Palais.

1950
The town council expresses interest in building a sports centre
1956
Project is presented
1958
Plans are amended to incorporate both summer and winter activities
1960
3.5 ha of land (Plaine d’Arly) is purchased
1964
Work begins
1967
Covered ice-rink opens at Christmas
1968
Indoor pool and snack-bar completed
1969
Inauguration of the Palais des Sports, sponsored by singer, Sacha Distel and his wife.
1970
Opening of six outdoor tennis courts
1972
Opening of the Convention Centre
1977 - 1978
Construction of four additional tennis courts
1981
Opening of outdoor pool (Olympic pool) and water slide
1981 - 1985
Implementation of an innovative energy saving programme.
1984
Construction of gym and covered tennis court
2003
Opening of Media Library on 1st June
2013
Opening of Spa
2014
Work on extension begins
2016
Opening and inauguration of new spaces

le palais map

plan du Palais

leisure centre

plan du city stade du Palais