Ferrières-lès-Ray
| Ferrières-lès-Ray | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | Haute-Saône | |
| Arrondissement | Vesoul | |
| Canton | Dampierre-sur-Salon | |
| Community association | Quatre Rivières | |
| Coordinates | 47 ° 35 ' N , 5 ° 48' E | |
| height | 197-231 m | |
| surface | 4.00 km 2 | |
| Residents | 33 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 8 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 70130 | |
| INSEE code | 70231 | |
Ferrières-lès-Ray is a municipality in the French department of Haute-Saône in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Ferrières-lès-Ray is located at an altitude of 205 m above sea level, 26 kilometers west-southwest of Vesoul and about 44 kilometers north-northwest of the city of Besançon (as the crow flies). The village extends in the west of the department, on a slightly elevated position on the northern edge of the wide Saône valley .
The area of the exactly 4 km² large municipal area covers a section of the central Saône valley. The southern border always runs along the Saône, which flows here with large loops through a wide alluvial lowland to the west. The flood plain averages 197 m and is about 2.5 kilometers wide. The river is developed into a waterway, with the loop of Ferrières being cut off by a 3 km long canal built in 1880. That is why the Saône has near-natural banks here. From the course of the river, the municipal area extends northward over the floodplain to the Bois du Haut hill . This consists of an alternating layer of calcareous and sandy-marl sediments from the upper Jurassic period . At 231 m, the highest point of Ferrières-lès-Ray is reached here.
Neighboring municipalities of Ferrières-lès-Ray are Ray-sur-Saône in the north and east, Vellexon-Queutrey-et-Vaudey in the south and Recologne in the west.
history
Remains of a settlement site and a bridge indicate settlement in Gallo-Roman times. The place name is derived from the late Latin word ferraria (ironworks). In the Middle Ages, Ferrières was part of the Free County of Burgundy and in that part of the Bailliage d'Amont area . The local rulership was always held by the Lords of Ray . The village was sacked and pillaged by troops of the Duke von Zweibrücken in 1569. During the Thirty Years' War, Ferrières was again affected when Duke Bernhard von Sachsen-Weimar crossed the Saône with his troops here on June 22, 1637. In 1666 the residents were granted freedom rights. Together with Franche-Comté , Ferrières finally came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678. Today Ferrières-lès-Ray is a member of the community association Communauté de communes des Quatre Rivières, which comprises 42 villages . The village has no church, it belongs to the parish of Ray-sur-Saône.
Attractions
Three Calvaires (stone crosses) from the late Middle Ages are worth seeing : the Croix du Marronnier from 1613, the Croix du Grapillot (1606) at the eastern entrance to the village and the Croix de l'Alisier (1612).
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 62 |
| 1968 | 67 |
| 1975 | 53 |
| 1982 | 38 |
| 1990 | 47 |
| 1999 | 35 |
With 33 inhabitants (January 1, 2017), Ferrières-lès-Ray is one of the smallest communes in the Haute-Saône department. After the population had decreased significantly during the first half of the 20th century (148 people were still counted in 1881), only slight fluctuations have been recorded since the mid-1970s.
Economy and Infrastructure
Ferrières-lès-Ray was until well into the 20th century a village dominated by agriculture (arable farming, fruit growing and cattle breeding) and fishing. Outside the primary sector there are no jobs in the village. Some workers are also commuters who work in the larger towns in the area.
The village is located off the major thoroughfares on a departmental road that leads from Membrey to Ray-sur-Saône.
