Foncine-le-Bas
| Foncine-le-Bas | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | law | |
| Arrondissement | Lons-le-Saunier | |
| Canton | Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux | |
| Community association | Champagnole Nozeroy Jura | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 38 ′ N , 6 ° 2 ′ E | |
| height | 730-1,181 m | |
| surface | 9.29 km 2 | |
| Residents | 192 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 21 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 39520 | |
| INSEE code | 39227 | |
Foncine-le-Bas is a commune in the French department of Jura in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Foncine-le-Bas is located at 794 m , about 15 kilometers southeast of the city of Champagnole (as the crow flies). The village extends in the Jura , in an open valley basin on the Saine , above the Gorges de Malvaux, northeast of the high plateau of Grandvaux, at the northwest foot of the forest heights of Mont Noir.
The area of the 9.29 km² municipal area covers a section of the French Jura. The central part of the area is occupied by the valley basin of Foncine-le-Bas (at an average of 790 m ), which geologically forms a syncline of the Jura folds . It is crossed by the Saine, which receives water from three side streams, namely the Sainette and the Galaveau coming from Mont Noir and the outflow from the Lac des Rouges Truites. Below the village, the Saine breaks through the ridge of the Côte Bayard with the Gorges de Malvaux cut deep into a resistant limestone layer . The community area extends to the west on the plateau of Grandvaux. The 3-hectare Lac à la Dame is located here in a bog basin .
In the south-east, the municipality extends over an approximately 200 m high step on the densely wooded plateau of Mont Noir . This impassable area is characterized by parallel ridges and troughs with no drainage above ground in between. At 1181 m , the highest elevation of Foncine-le-Bas is reached here. The karst features , such as cart fields and sinkholes, are characteristic of the plateau . The municipality is part of the Upper Jura Regional Nature Park (French: Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura ).
In addition to the actual village, Foncine-le-Bas also includes several hamlets, groups of farms and individual farms, including:
- Les Fumey ( 885 m ) on the plateau west of the village
- Rapoutier ( 820 m ) in the valley basin south of the village
Neighboring municipalities of Foncine-le-Bas are Les Planches-en-Montagne in the north, Foncine-le-Haut in the east, Chapelle-des-Bois and Lac-des-Rouges-Truites in the south and Fort-du-Plasne in the west.
history
The place name Foncine developed over the centuries from the original fond de la Saine (valley floor of the Saine). Foncine has been part of the Château-Vilain estate since the Middle Ages. Together with Franche-Comté , the village came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678. In 1790 Foncine-le-Bas became an independent municipality after the subdivision of the large municipality of Foncine.
Attractions
The church of Foncine-le-Bas was built on the site of an earlier chapel from 1604 and rebuilt in 1880. Natural attractions include the Gorges de Malvaux with the Saine waterfalls.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 236 |
| 1968 | 232 |
| 1975 | 229 |
| 1982 | 191 |
| 1990 | 175 |
| 1999 | 182 |
| 2006 | 220 |
With 192 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), Foncine-le-Bas is one of the small communities in the Jura department. After the population had decreased markedly in the first half of the 20th century (in 1906 there were still 564 people), stabilization and even a slight increase was achieved in the last two decades.
Economy and Infrastructure
For a long time, Foncine-le-Bas was mainly characterized by agriculture , especially cattle and dairy farming, and forestry. As early as the 16th century, businesses that were dependent on water power, such as mills, sawmills and tanneries, settled along the Saine. In the course of time these operations were supplemented by a plaster mill, cheese factories, blacksmiths, clock workshops and a diamond grinding shop. In the 20th century, a toy factory and several eyeglass factories were important. Today there are some local small businesses. Many workers are also commuters who work in the larger towns in the area.
The village is located off the main thoroughfares on the main road D437, which leads from Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux to Pontarlier . There are other road links with Les Planches-en-Montagne and Fort-du-Plasne. The operation of an electric tram, which connected Foncine-le-Bas with Champagnole, was discontinued in 1950 and replaced by a bus line.
Web links
- Information about Foncine-le-Bas (French)