Baâlon
| Baâlon | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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| region | Grand Est | |
| Department | Meuse | |
| Arrondissement | Verdun | |
| Canton | Stenay | |
| Community association | Pays de Stenay and Val Dunois | |
| Coordinates | 49 ° 29 ' N , 5 ° 14' E | |
| height | 186-278 m | |
| surface | 14.76 km 2 | |
| Residents | 290 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 20 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 55700 | |
| INSEE code | 55025 | |
Baâlon is a French commune with 290 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region (until 2015 Lorraine ). It belongs to the Arrondissement of Verdun and the municipality of Pays de Stenay et Val Dunois .
geography
The municipality of Baâlon is located between the Maas and Chiers valleys , about 35 kilometers southeast of Sedan and about 17 kilometers southwest of the border with Belgium .
Almost the entire southern half of the municipality is covered by forest ( Bois du Chênois as part of the large Forêt de Woëvre ), another forest area is in the north ( Bois de Malcuit ), while arable and pasture land predominates east of the village center. The Ruisseau de Baalon , a small stream that rises in the Bois du Chênois and drains away again after a few hundred meters, flows through the municipality . It reappears two and a half kilometers to the northwest, in the middle of the village of Baâlon, and flows into the Meuse tributary Chiers in Brouennes, feeding several reservoirs.
Neighboring municipalities of Baâlon are Brouennes in the north, Quincy-Landzécourt in the east, Juvigny-sur-Loison in the southeast, Mouzay in the south and Stenay in the west.
history
Artifacts from Gallo-Roman times were found near Baâlon in the 19th century . Ceramics, a bronze statue and the remains of houses, workshops and streets indicate a Roman camp that existed here around the 3rd century.
A tombstone on the church commemorates the Maclot family from Scotland. Ferry Maclot , the last of the Lords of Baâlon, died in 1638.
In the 19th century the inhabitants were mainly employed in agriculture, there were also tanners, skinners, cobblers, lumberjacks and weavers as well as a miller. Many women were embroiderers, as in the neighboring towns of Stenay and Mouzay . Between 1861 and 1891 a brewery was operated in the village. Soils and terrain around Baâlon - unlike in the nearby Meuse Valley - were not suitable for viticulture .
population
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2007 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 204 | 272 | 282 | 286 | 287 | 267 | 268 | 290 | |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | |||||||||
The population of Baâlon has remained more or less constant since the late 1960s. In order to counteract migration from rural areas, sustainable projects have been implemented in the community in recent years. Among other things, investments were made in municipal housing, a playground and an orchard were created and a party room was renovated.
Attractions
In the 18th century church of St. Blaise ( Saint-Blaise ) there is a wrought iron arch that separates the choir from the nave and a triptych with the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ.
Economy and Infrastructure
There are 13 farms in the municipality (grain and fruit growing, dairy farming, cattle breeding). Many residents commute to Stenay or the nearby border triangle France-Belgium-Luxembourg. Baâlon was the primary school location until 2004.
The trunk road leads through Baâlon from Arlon in Belgium via Stenay to Reims . Other roads connect Baâlon with the neighboring municipalities of Brouennes, Quincy-Landzécourt and Mouzay.
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Meuse. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 1999, ISBN 2-84234-074-4 , pp. 936-938.
