Hotel Restaurant La Soldanelle - Megève - Haute-Savoie
Hôtel Restaurant La Soldanelle, Megève - Route du Mont d'Arbois
Megève is a municipality in the French department of Haute-Savoie, part of the arrondissement of Bonneville.
The historic Hôtel La Soldanelle was located on the route du Mont d'Arbois. Listed in 1914 with 35 rooms, it was one of the early luxury hotels that helped establish Megève as an Alpine destination, with heating installed from the winter of 1914-15.
According to heritage records, the hotel was later transformed into a chalet for Humbert and Lucien Feige in 1945 by renowned Alpine architect H.J. Le Même.
Today the property is registered under the Société Civile Immobilière La Soldanelle at 108 Route Nationale, 74120 Megève.
This rich history makes any surviving copper cookware stamped from this establishment an interesting piece of Megève's hospitality history.
This particular 28cm stockpot is a heavily constructed professional piece, crafted from an impressive 2.4 mm thick copper and built to withstand the demands of a busy commercial kitchen. It bears the coveted UNIS France 56 mark, a fascinating symbol of French industrial and culinary history dating back to 1916.
Any surviving copper cookware stamped by this historic establishment represents a fascinating piece of Megève's hospitality history. This particular 28cm stockpot is a prime example: a heavily constructed professional piece, crafted from an impressive 2.4 mm thick copper and built to withstand the demands of a busy commercial kitchen. It bears the coveted UNIS France 56 mark
UNIS Meret 56 France
UNIS France, short for Union Nationale Inter-Syndicale, was established in 1916 during a period when French manufacturers faced widespread imitation from foreign competitors. At the time, there was no protected "Made in France" designation, and French products were frequently copied abroad. To combat this, leading French industries joined forces to create the UNIS France collective trademark, guaranteeing that marked products were genuinely manufactured in France.
Rather than serving as a quality certification, the mark functioned as a declaration of origin, promoting authentic French craftsmanship and helping consumers distinguish genuine French made goods from imported imitations. The trademark was adopted by a wide range of industries, including toy manufacturers, optical and photographic companies, electrical equipment producers, and makers of professional cookware. It became particularly common on products destined for export markets, where it served as a proud statement of French manufacture and reputation.The UNIS France mark was widely used from 1916 until the outbreak of the Second World War, although examples continued to appear on certain products well into the 1950s.
Combined with its substantial 2.4 mm copper construction and provenance from Hôtel La Soldanelle in Megève, this stockpot represents far more than a piece of cookware. It is a surviving artifact from the golden age of French hospitality, embodying the craftsmanship, durability, and heritage that made French copper cookware renowned throughout the world.
