Esprels
| Esprels | ||
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | Haute-Saône | |
| Arrondissement | Lure | |
| Canton | Villersexel | |
| Community association | Pays de Villersexel | |
| Coordinates | 47 ° 32 ' N , 6 ° 22' E | |
| height | 252-408 m | |
| surface | 14.81 km 2 | |
| Residents | 733 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 49 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 70110 | |
| INSEE code | 70219 | |
| Website | http://www.esprels.fr/ | |
Esprels is a municipality in the French department of Haute-Saône in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Esprels is located at an altitude of 259 m above sea level, five kilometers west-southwest of Villersexel and about 19 kilometers southeast of the city of Vesoul (as the crow flies). The village extends on the western edge of the Villersexel plain, north of the Ognon valley in the lowlands of the Dorfbach, on the edge of the heights of the Grands Bois .
The area of the 14.81 km² municipal area covers a section of the lowland near Villersexel. The southern part of the area is taken up by a plain that averages 260 m. It forms an alluvial plane of the Ognon. In the very south, the border runs along the Ognon, which here flows with various meanders through the lowland to the southwest. Former sand and gravel pits (now quarry ponds) are partly used as bathing lakes.
The plain is bounded in the west and north by predominantly wooded hills. In the west the border runs in the Bois Bernard . The highest elevation of Esprels is reached at 408 m on the Montaigu . To the north, the municipal area extends into the extensive forests of Bois de Bouloie and Grands Bois . These hills consist of limestone layers from the middle Jurassic period .
The hamlet of Les Pateys (340 m) at the northern foot of the Montaigu belongs to Esprels . Neighboring communities of Esprels are Borey in the north, Marast and Autrey-le-Vay in the east, Pont-sur-l'Ognon in the south and Chassey-lès-Montbozon and Vallerois-le-Bois in the west.
history
The municipality of Esprels has been inhabited since Gallo-Roman times, as evidenced by the remains of wall foundations and fragments of mosaics. In the Middle Ages Esprels was ecclesiastically dependent on the Marast priory and later on the Dole chapter . Secular rule was for a long time the responsibility of the Marquis de Grammont. Together with Franche-Comté , Esprels finally came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678. Since 2000 Esprels has been a member of the community association Communauté de communes du Pays de Villersexel, which comprises 33 localities .
Attractions
The village church of Saint-Vallier in Esprels was rebuilt in the 18th century. It has rich furnishings from the 15th to 19th centuries, including the statues of the Vierge de Pitié (1511) and Sainte-Anne (17th century). The Lavoir Saint-Desle, named after an Irish monk, is located near the church. The Mairie (parish hall) dates from the late 19th century. In the town center, numerous houses from the 16th to 19th centuries have been preserved in the traditional Haute-Saône style, including a farmstead with an octagonal stair tower.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 568 |
| 1968 | 584 |
| 1975 | 608 |
| 1982 | 596 |
| 1990 | 631 |
| 1999 | 678 |
With 733 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) Esprels is one of the smaller municipalities in the Haute-Saône department. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (780 people were still counted in 1886), population growth has been recorded again since the beginning of the 1980s.
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Esprels was a village dominated by agriculture (arable farming, fruit growing and cattle breeding) and forestry. In addition, there are now various small and medium-sized businesses, especially in the areas of construction, wood processing and the manufacture of agricultural machines. The most important company is a furniture factory. In the meantime, the village has also turned into a residential community. Many workers are commuters who work in the larger towns in the area.
The village is well developed in terms of traffic. It is on the main D9 road from Vesoul to Héricourt . Other road connections exist with Montbozon , Pont-sur-l'Ognon and Marast.
