Épenouse
| Épenouse | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | Doubs | |
| Arrondissement | Pontarlier | |
| Canton | Valdahon | |
| Community association | Portes du Haut-Doubs | |
| Coordinates | 47 ° 13 ' N , 6 ° 24' E | |
| height | 546-672 m | |
| surface | 5.75 km 2 | |
| Residents | 151 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 26 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 25530 | |
| INSEE code | 25218 | |
Epenouse is a French municipality with 151 inhabitants (as of January 1 2017) in Doubs in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Épenouse is located at 660 m above sea level, eight kilometers northeast of Valdahon and about 28 kilometers east of the city of Besançon (as the crow flies). The village extends in the Jura , in the eastern part of the Valdahon plateau, the so-called first plateau of the Jura, south of the Audeux valley and the Orsans basin.
The area of the 5.75 km² large municipality covers a section of the French Jura. The main part of the area is occupied by the low relief high plateau of Valdahon, which is an average of 650 m. It is predominantly made up of arable and meadow land, partly also of forest. The highest point in the municipality is reached at 672 m at the height of Épenouse. To the south, the community area extends over the plateau to the edge of the extensive forests of Forêt du Chanois and Les Anglars . The Épenouse plateau is bounded in the west by the valleys of the source streams of the Audeux, in the north and east by the valley of the Creuse (right tributary of the Audeux). These valley systems are sunk around 60 to 100 m deep into the surrounding high plateaus.
Neighboring municipalities of Épenouse are Bremondans in the north, Villers-Chief and Eysson in the east, Vercel-Villedieu-le-Camp in the south and Belmont in the west.
history
In the Middle Ages, Épenouse belonged to the Vercel domain. Together with Franche-Comté , the village came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678. A blast furnace was in operation here in the 18th century. Since 1998 Épenouse has been a member of the Communauté de communes du Pays de Pierrefontaine-Vercel, which comprises 44 localities .
On January 1, 2009 there was a change in the arrondissement membership of the municipality. Previously belonging to the Arrondissement Besançon , all municipalities of the canton came to the Arrondissement Pontarlier.
Attractions
The single-nave Saint-Claude church was originally built in 1693 and enlarged in 1740. The bell tower dates from 1826. Various farmhouses in the characteristic style of Franche-Comté from the 17th to 19th centuries have been preserved in the town center. The former Moulin d'Avelle is also worth seeing.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 118 |
| 1968 | 96 |
| 1975 | 104 |
| 1982 | 85 |
| 1990 | 93 |
| 1999 | 88 |
| 2006 | 106 |
| 2016 | 148 |
With 151 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) Épenouse is one of the smallest municipalities in the Doubs department. After the number of inhabitants had decreased markedly in the first half of the 20th century (in 1891 there were still 143 people), population growth has been recorded again in recent years.
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Épenouse was predominantly a village characterized by agriculture (arable farming, fruit growing and cattle breeding). The water power of the Creuse was previously used to operate mills. Even today, the residents live mainly from their work in the first sector. Outside the primary sector there are few jobs in the village. Many workers are also commuters who work in the surrounding larger towns.
The village is located off the main thoroughfares near a departmental road that leads from Valdahon to Baume-les-Dames . Another road connection is with Belmont.
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes du Doubs. Volume 2, Flohic Editions, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-087-6 , pp. 1330-1331.
