Charquemont
| Charquemont | ||
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | Doubs | |
| Arrondissement | Montbeliard | |
| Canton | Maîche | |
| Community association | Pays de Maîche | |
| Coordinates | 47 ° 13 ' N , 6 ° 49' E | |
| height | 535-1,043 m | |
| surface | 21.44 km 2 | |
| Residents | 2,668 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 124 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 25140 | |
| INSEE code | 25127 | |
.jpg) Town Hall ( Hôtel de ville ) |
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Charquemont is a French commune with 2,668 inhabitants (as of January 1 2017) in Doubs in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Charquemont is located at 860 m , five kilometers south of Maîche and about twelve kilometers north of the Swiss city of La Chaux-de-Fonds (as the crow flies). The village extends in the Jura , in the middle of the extensive high plateau of Maîche north of the deeply cut valley of the Doubs .
The main part of the 21.44 km² municipal area lies, on average at 850 m, on the low relief high plateau of Maîche. It is mostly made up of meadow and pasture land, but also shows some larger forest areas, in particular the forest of Les Rachottes south of the village. The plateau has no above-ground watercourses because the rainwater seeps into the karstified subsoil. The northern boundary runs on the wide hill of Les Essarts ( 934 m ). In the south, the high plateau is bounded by an elongated ridge that culminates on the Peu de Grueresse . The highest point of Charquemont is reached here at 1043 m.
To the south, this ridge drops steeply to the canyon-like valley of the Doubs, which is cut into the Jura plateau. The predominantly wooded valley slopes are criss-crossed by various striking limestone walls, including those of Les Echelles de la Mort . In the south and southeast, the border always runs along the Doubs, which flows here through an impassable, wild valley to the northeast.
In addition to the actual town center, Charquemont includes various hamlets and numerous individual farms, including:
- Combe-Saint-Pierre ( 865 m ) on the edge of the high plateau at the northwest foot of the Peu de Grueresse
- Creux de Charquemont ( 880 m ) on the plateau on the southern edge of Les Rachottes
- Vaudey ( 931 m ) on a terrace south of the Peu de Grueresse , high above the Doubs valley
- Le Boulois ( 914 m ) on a terrace east of the Peu de Grueresse , high above the Doubs valley
Neighboring municipalities of Charquemont are Fournet-Blancheroche in the south, Les Écorces in the west, Maîche and Cernay-l'Église in the north, Damprichard and Charmauvillers in the northeast and the Swiss municipalities Le Noirmont and Les Bois in the southeast.
history
The Charquemont area was cleared and reclaimed in the 13th century. The place was first mentioned in a document in 1339. In the Middle Ages it belonged to the domain of Maîche. Together with Franche-Comté , Charquemont came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678. Fournet-Blancheroche was also part of the municipality since the French Revolution . However, this was separated from Charquemont in 1874 and raised to an independent municipality. Another area change occurred in 1972 when the previously independent scattered settlement Le Boulois was incorporated into Charquemont.
For a long time, economic life was shaped by agriculture (dairy farming, cattle breeding, arable farming) and forestry. Watchmaking was introduced in the middle of the 18th century. At first, the clocks were mainly manufactured at home, and from around the middle of the 19th century in factories. In the 19th century, Charquemont developed into an important center of the watch industry in the French Jura. The village received better transport connections in 1902 with the opening of the narrow-gauge railway ( Le Tacot ), which ran from Morteau to Maîche. However, the operation of this railway line ceased in 1952.
Attractions
The Saint-Étienne church was built in the 16th century in the late Gothic style. The current bell tower was added in the 19th century. At that time it was still equipped with an onion hood, today it wears a pointed helmet. The church was extensively restored and enlarged in 1932. The Saint-Roch chapel is located in the open field southeast of the village .
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 2329 |
| 1968 | 2341 |
| 1975 | 2485 |
| 1982 | 2265 |
| 1990 | 2205 |
| 1999 | 2209 |
| 2016 | 2656 |
With 2668 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) Charquemont is one of the medium-sized municipalities in the Doubs department. As early as the middle of the 19th century, Charquemont had almost 2,000 inhabitants because of its importance as a location for the watch industry. After the population in the first half of the 20th century was mostly in the range of around 1,800, the population grew steadily from 1950 to the mid-1970s. With almost 2500 inhabitants, the previous high was reached in 1975. After that, the population decreased significantly due to the crisis in the watch industry , only to have remained at an almost constant level since the mid-1980s.
Economy and Infrastructure
Even today, the economic structure of Charquemont is shaped by the watch industry. Around 500 people are employed in this branch, which includes Herbelin, Haenni, Rubis Précis, Fresard, TWC-Clyda, Saint-Honoré Paris and Perrenoud. Other important industries are micromechanics, construction and the wood industry. The hydropower plant Refrain is located in the Doubstal .
Charquemont is located in a popular excursion area in the High Jura and today also benefits from tourism. The community is geared towards both summer tourism (hiking, cycling, fishing) and winter tourism (alpine and Nordic skiing). The Combe-Saint-Pierre ski station at the western foot of the Peu de Grueresse is equipped with three ski lifts. If the snow conditions are good, around 40 km of cross-country ski runs are available for Nordic skiing.
The village is well developed in terms of traffic. It is located on the D464 departmental road that leads from Maîche to La Chaux-de-Fonds . Further road connections exist with Le Russey , Frambouhans and Damprichard .
