Mont Blanc massif The descriptions of their exploits were published across Europe, bringing the mountains of the Mont Blanc range to the attention of a wide audience for the first time. In 1760, Horace-Bénédict de Saussure offered a large financial prize to the first people who successfully ascended Mont Blanc. The summit was finally attained on 8 August 1786 by two Chamonix men, the guide Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel Paccard. The decades that followed saw the gradual opening up of Chamonix to the world, as well as the rest of the Mont Blanc massif. The many published accounts of climbs and impressive
Gabriel Davioud are the popular Saint-Michel Fountain in Place Saint-Michel, the old Palais du Trocadéro (demolished 1937), and the two theatres at the Place du Châtelet (the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Théâtre de la Ville.) In 1868, Davioud succeeded Jacques Landry as mayor of Houlgate, where he stayed until 1871. His mandate was interrupted when he was appointed "capitaine du génie" during the Franco-Prussian War. Noted for his work in Paris, he built a single villa in Houlgate, "La Brise", on the "Route de Caumont". Gabriel Davioud Jean-Antoine-Gabriel Davioud (; 30 October 1824 – 6 April 1881) was a French architect.