Bellefontaine (Jura)
| Bellefontaine | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | law | |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Claude | |
| Canton | Morez | |
| Community association | Haut-Jura | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 33 ' N , 6 ° 4' E | |
| height | 760-1,302 m | |
| surface | 24.71 km 2 | |
| Residents | 537 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 22 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 39400 | |
| INSEE code | 39047 | |
| Website | www.bellefontaine39.fr | |
 Bellefontaine |
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Bellefontaine is a commune in the French department of Jura in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Bellefontaine is located at 1036 m , five kilometers northeast of Morez and about 40 km north of the city of Geneva (as the crow flies). The village extends in the Jura , in the upper part of the valley of the Evalude, between the forest heights of Les Chaumelles in the north-west and the Risoux in the south-east, near the border with Switzerland .
The area of the 24.71 km² municipality covers a section of the French Jura. The landscape is characterized by parallel ridges and longitudinal hollows, which are oriented towards the southwest-northeast in accordance with the direction of the fold of the Jura in this area. The central part of the municipality is occupied by the valley of the Evalude, which drains the area to the southwest to the Bienne . The valley, which descends relatively quickly to the Klustal of Morez, represents a syncline of the Folded Jura. It is accompanied on both sides by steep slopes, which are crowned at the upper edge by ledges. In the north are the Roches des Trois Commères ( 1083 m ) and Les Chaumelles ( 1151 m ), in the south the Entreroches ( 1171 m ).
To the southeast, the community area extends into the densely forested, impassable area of the Forêt du Risoux with parallel ridges and intervening hollows without drainage. The highest points here are the Crêt à la Dame ( 1311 m ) and the Roche Bernard ( 1290 m ). In the northeast, the communal soil extends to the plateau at the foot of the Risoux, which is an average of 1,100 m . The vegetation shows a loose structure of forest and pasture land. The moor lake Lac de Bellefontaine and part of Lac des Mortes also belong to the municipality. The municipality is part of the Upper Jura Regional Nature Park (French: Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura ).
In addition to the actual village, Bellefontaine also includes several hamlets, farm groups and individual farms, including:
- En Chapeau ( 960 m ) on the Evalude
- Les Mortes ( 1095 m ) on the plateau near the Lac des Mortes
Neighboring municipalities of Bellefontaine are Chapelle-des-Bois in the northeast, Bois-d'Amont in the southeast, Les Rousses and Hauts de Bienne with Morez in the south and Morbier in the west and north.
history
Bellefontaine has been part of the priory and rule of La Mouille since the Middle Ages. The place name (translated into German beautiful fountain, beautiful spring ) comes from the time of the plague, when the inhabitants of Morbier and Morez had to fetch clean water on the high plateau. Together with Franche-Comté , Bellefontaine came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678.
Attractions
The village church of Bellefontaine was given its current appearance when it was rebuilt in the 18th century.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 237 |
| 1968 | 227 |
| 1975 | 255 |
| 1982 | 314 |
| 1990 | 422 |
| 1999 | 453 |
| 2006 | 534 |
With 537 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) Bellefontaine is one of the small communities in the Jura department. After the population had decreased markedly in the first half of the 20th century (542 people were still counted in 1886), a significant increase in population has been recorded again since the beginning of the 1970s.
Economy and Infrastructure
For a long time, Bellefontaine was predominantly a village characterized by agriculture , in particular cattle and dairy farming, and forestry. In addition, there are various small and medium-sized businesses today. In addition to the traditional branches of watchmaking, woodworking and cheese production, mechanical workshops and a company that makes signs are now represented in the village.
As a resort in a popular excursion area in the High Jura, Bellefontaine today also benefits from tourism, especially from winter tourism when cross-country skiing can be practiced on the high plateau. The slopes southeast of the village are accessible for alpine skiing by two ski lifts. Bellefontaine has a hotel, a holiday complex and various holiday apartments.
The village is located away from the major thoroughfares on a departmental road that leads from Morez to Chaux-Neuve . Another road connection is with Bois-d'Amont.
