La Chaux-du-Dombief
La Chaux-du-Dombief | ||
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region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
Department | law | |
Arrondissement | Saint-Claude | |
Canton | Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux | |
Community association | La Grandvallière | |
Coordinates | 46 ° 36 ' N , 5 ° 54' E | |
height | 719–1,063 m | |
surface | 21.65 km 2 | |
Residents | 544 (January 1, 2017) | |
Population density | 25 inhabitants / km 2 | |
Post Code | 39150 | |
INSEE code | 39131 |
La Chaux-du-Dombief is a commune in the French department of Jura in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
La Chaux-du-Dombief is located at 890 m , about 15 kilometers south of the city of Champagnole (as the crow flies). The village extends in the Jura , in an elevated position on the western slope of the Dombief, south of the Pic de l'Aigle viewpoint, northwest of the Grandvaux plateau.
The area of the 21.65 km² municipal area covers a section of the French Jura. The landscape is characterized by parallel ridges and longitudinal hollows, which are oriented towards the south-south-west-north-north-east in accordance with the direction of the fold of the Jura in this area. The central part of the community area is taken up by the valley of the Dombief . The stream flows through a valley to the northeast and is flanked to the east by the forest heights of the Prélet ( 929 m ) and the Bois de la Joux Derrière .
The western boundary is formed by the ridge of the Forêt de la Vallière ( 1,036 m ) and the Bois de Ban (with the Pic de l'Aigle , 993 m ), with the Cluse d'Ilay cut in between . The ridge drops steeply to the west with a rock wall. The Ilay Mulde connects to the west of the ridge. It was lined with layers of marl and clay as a result of the Ice Age glaciation , so that the two lakes Lac de la Motte and Lac du Grand-Maclu could form. The community area extends west to the edge of the Bois de Jeanrau .
To the south, the municipality extends into the headwaters of the Dombief and reaches the highest point of La Chaux-du-Dombief at 1063 m on the edge of the Bois des Mouillères . In the extreme northeast, the area extends into the valley basin in which the Dombief flows into the Lemme . The municipality is part of the Upper Jura Regional Nature Park (French: Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura ).
In addition to the actual village, La Chaux-du-Dombief also includes several hamlets, groups of farms and individual farms, including:
- Ilay ( 766 m ) in a hollow south of Lac de la Motte
- Rollets ( 885 m ) on the western slope of the Dombief below the Pic de l'Aigle
- La Boissière ( 834 m ) on the western slope of the Dombief
Neighboring municipalities of La Chaux-du-Dombief are Le Frasnois , Châtelneuf and Entre-Deux-Monts in the north, Fort-du-Plasne and La Chaumusse in the east, Saint-Pierre and Saint-Maurice-Crillat in the south and Bonlieu in the west.
history
The origin of the settlement in the region of La Chaux-du-Dombief is the priory of Saint-Vincent, which was founded in the 6th century by St. Desiderius on the island of La Motte in the Lac de la Motte. The monks made the area arable and thus laid the foundation for the development of hamlets and villages. The priory was destroyed in the 17th century.
The settlement of La Chaux-du-Dombief was first mentioned in a document in the 12th century under the name Lachal-du-Dombiez . The settlement on the saddle at the upper entrance to the Cluse d'Ilay was fortified in the early 14th century and was granted certain rights of freedom in 1335. It formed the center of the Aigle barony, which at that time belonged to the Chalon-Arlay family. A castle controlled the important traffic route from Lons-le-Saunier over the Jura heights to the Swiss plateau . The castle and village were taken by French troops in 1668. Together with Franche-Comté , La Chaux-du-Dombief finally came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678. The area changed in 1813 when the previously independent Ilay was incorporated into La Chaux-du-Dombief.
Attractions
The village church of La Chaux-du-Dombief was built in the 18th century. There is a 17th century chapel in Ilay. Ruins have been preserved from the 14th century medieval castle of the Aigle lordship. Natural attractions include the Lac de la Motte and Lacs de Maclu as well as the two viewpoints Pic de l'Aigle and Belvédère des quatre Lacs.
population
Population development | |
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year | Residents |
1962 | 350 |
1968 | 324 |
1975 | 343 |
1982 | 422 |
1990 | 442 |
1999 | 488 |
2004 | 532 |
With 544 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), La Chaux-du-Dombief is one of the small communities in the Jura department. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (616 people were still counted in 1906), a significant increase in population has been recorded again since the beginning of the 1970s.
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, La Chaux-du-Dombief was primarily a village characterized by agriculture , in particular cattle and dairy farming, and forestry. In addition, there are now some small and medium-sized businesses, including an eyewear manufacturing company. Many workers are also commuters who work in the larger towns in the area.
The village is very well developed in terms of traffic. It is on the main road N78, which leads from Lons-le-Saunier to Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux . Other road connections exist with Doucier , Le Frasnois and Champagnole.