Divonne-les-Bains
| Divonne-les-Bains | ||
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| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Ain | |
| Arrondissement | Gex | |
| Canton | Gex | |
| Community association | Pays de Gex | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 21 ' N , 6 ° 9' E | |
| height | 464-1,447 m | |
| surface | 33.88 km 2 | |
| Residents | 9,644 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 285 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 01220 | |
| INSEE code | 01143 | |
| Website | www.divonne.fr | |
 Casino in Divonne-les-Bains |
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Divonne-les-Bains is a French commune , a thermal spa and a sports and leisure center in the Ain department in the region of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . The municipality belongs to the canton Gex in the Arrondissement Gex and is a member of the municipality association Pays de Gex .
geography
Divonne-les-Bains is located at 484 m , eight kilometers west-southwest of Nyon and about 17 kilometers north of the city of Geneva (as the crow flies). The health resort extends in the far north-east of the Pays de Gex in a panoramic position at the foot of the Jura below the Dôle , on the Versoix , a tributary of Lake Geneva . Divonne-les-Bains is located in the immediate vicinity of the border with Switzerland and is the easternmost commune of the Ain department.
The area of the 33.88 km² municipal area covers a section of the Pays de Gex. The area is divided into two naturally very different parts. The south-eastern part is taken up by the formerly boggy-swampy plain that is drained by the Versoix. Today, large sections of the moor are drained and the Lac de Divonne ( 466 m ) bathing lake was created on the outskirts , an attraction for water sports enthusiasts. There are still natural marshlands along the winding course of the Versoix, which forms the border with Switzerland for long stretches. The Versoix, which is called Divonne in the upper reaches , gets its water from various sources in the area of the village and at the foot of the Jura.
An agriculturally intensively used plateau (500 to 580 m ) connects to the northwest of the plain . This plateau is dominated west of Divonne-les-Bains by Mont Mussy ( 704 m ), a forest height in front of the Jura.
The entire north-western half of the municipality is occupied by the broad ridge of the foremost Jura chain. From a geological point of view, it forms an anticline , which consists mainly of sediments from the Upper Jurassic period . Its steep slope facing Divonne-les-Bains is densely forested ( Bois de Majorat and Bois de Vésenex ) and is subdivided by various erosion channels. At 1,447 m , the highest point in Divonne-les-Bains is reached on the predominantly wooded Jura ridge southwest of the Dôle summit. Typical karst features such as cart fields and sinkholes can also be found here . In the far west, the municipal area extends into the Juralängstal Combe de Mijoux and the source of the Valserine, which rises in this valley furrow . Belonging to the high Jura northern municipality of Divonne-les-Bains is part of the nature reserve Haute Chaîne du Jura and the Regional Natural Park of Haut-Jura , with which the community is associated as an official place of access.
In addition to the actual locality, Divonne-les-Bains also includes various villages and hamlets, including:
- Arbère ( 504 m ) on the plateau at the southeast foot of Mont Mussy
- Plan ( 492 m ) on the plateau north of Divonne-les-Bains
- Villard ( 527 m ) on the plateau at the foot of the Jura
- Vésenex ( 497 m ) on the plateau at the foot of the Jura
- Crassy ( 473 m ) on the right bank of the Boiron de Nyon directly on the border with Switzerland
- Les Mouilles ( 550 m ) on the plateau at the foot of the Jura
- La Baronne ( 590 m ) at the foot of the Jura
- Saint-Gix ( 569 m ) in the valley between Mont Mussy and the Jura ridge
Neighboring municipalities of Divonne-les-Bains are Grilly in the south, Vesancy , Mijoux and Lajoux in the west, Prémanon in the north and the Swiss municipalities of La Rippe in the northeast, Crassier and Bogis-Bossey in the east, Chavannes-de-Bogis and Chavannes-des- Bois in the south.
history
The municipality of Divonne-les-Bains was already settled during Roman times. The remains of a Roman villa have been found near La Buzelle. Furthermore, traces of a Roman aqueduct have been preserved, with which the spring water of the Divonne was led to the town of Colonia Iulia Equestris (on the site of today's Nyon ).
Divonne was first mentioned in a document in 1110 under the name Divonae . In the course of time, the spelling changed via Divonna (1137), Divona (1164), Dyvona (1385), Dyvone (1398) and Dyvonne (1509) to the current name Divonne, which has been in writing since 1676. The place name is of Celtic origin and means something like source of the gods .
In the 12th century Divonne initially formed its own rule, which, however, soon became dependent on the Lords of Gex and with them passed to the Counts of Geneva . From 1353 Divonne was under Savoy rule. Together with the rest of the Pays de Gex, Divonne fell in 1536 as a bailiff to the Bernese, who introduced the Reformation . With the Treaty of Lausanne, Divonne returned to the House of Savoy in 1564, but came under Geneva rule in 1590 during the wars between Geneva and Savoy. Through the Treaty of Lyon, the place came to France in 1601, which promoted the recatholization of the area. When the reformed church of Divonne was closed in 1662, many residents emigrated to the neighboring Bernese bailiwicks of Nyon and Bonmont.
With the reorganization of the administrative structure in the Geneva area as part of the Congress of Vienna, Divonne remained with France, but belonged to the free trade zone , which included the entire Geneva basin. This resulted in close economic ties with the city of Geneva. From 1849 the sources of the Divonne were taken and used for spa operations, which made the village known nationwide. As a result, the official commune name Divonne-les-Bains was introduced in 1892 . There was a change of area on February 15, 1965, when the previously independent municipality Vésenex-Crassy was incorporated into Divonne-les-Bains.
Attractions
See also: List of Monuments historiques in Divonne-les-Bains
The parish church of Divonne-les-Bains was given its current appearance when it was rebuilt in the 19th century. There are chapels in Vésenex and Crassy. The Château de Divonne was built in the 16th century on the site of an originally 11th century castle. It was restored from 1765 to 1770, enlarged in the second half of the 19th century and has a neo-Gothic castle chapel with a bronze altar and wall paintings. Today the castle, surrounded by a beautiful park, serves as a hotel. In Crassy there is a castle that originally goes back to a medieval castle and was redesigned in the 17th century.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 2716 |
| 1968 | 3276 |
| 1975 | 4238 |
| 1982 | 4783 |
| 1990 | 5580 |
| 1999 | 6171 |
| 2006 | 7400 |
| 2011 | 8388 |
With 9,644 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) Divonne-les-Bains is one of the larger municipalities in the Ain department. The population has continued to grow rapidly since the 1950s and continues to this day. Outside the old town center, numerous single and multi-family houses as well as apartment blocks were built. The area around Divonne-les-Bains is now loosely built over with residential and commercial estates. Today the community is part of the outer agglomeration belt of Geneva. The local residents of Divonne-les-Bains are called Divonnais in French .
Economy and Infrastructure
Until the beginning of the 20th century, Divonne-les-Bains was a village dominated by agriculture and spa operations. Today agriculture is only of minor importance. Since the 1950s, Divonne-les-Bains gradually developed into a place of residence for the agglomeration of Geneva. Today there are numerous small and medium-sized businesses, as well as various industries, construction and trading companies and companies in the service sector. Commercial and industrial zones developed mainly in the plain south of the old town center. Numerous workers are also commuters who work as cross-border commuters in the Geneva agglomeration.
Since the 1970s, Divonne-les-Bains has developed into an attractive leisure center whose catchment area extends far into Switzerland (cantons of Vaud and Geneva). Major attractions include the Lac de Divonne, the casino (built in 1954), the thermal baths, the racecourse, the golf course, the Esplanade du Lac cultural center and the Forestland.
The community is very well developed in terms of transport. It is on the main road from Gex to Nyon. Other important road connections exist with Geneva and Coppet . The closest connection to the motorway, the Swiss A1 , is around 3 km away. The former railway line , which ran from Bellegarde-sur-Valserine to Divonne-les-Bains, was closed and is now being replaced by a bus line. From 1905 to 1962 Nyon could be reached via the Nyon – Divonne railway line , today it is closed and dismantled. Genève-Cointrin Airport is also easily accessible.
In Divonne-les-Bains there are three public elementary schools ( école primaire ) with integrated or affiliated preschool classes and a comprehensive school ( collège ).
Web links
- Official website of the municipality of Divonne-les-Bains (French)
- Germain Hausmann: Divonne-les-Bains. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Divonne-les-Bains - notice communal. In: cassini.ehess.fr. Retrieved on June 3, 2015 (French, INSEE population from 1968 ).