Le Bélieu
| Le Bélieu | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | Doubs | |
| Arrondissement | Pontarlier | |
| Canton | Morteau | |
| Community association | Val de Morteau | |
| Coordinates | 47 ° 7 ' N , 6 ° 38' E | |
| height | 870–1,040 m | |
| surface | 10.72 km 2 | |
| Residents | 450 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 42 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 25500 | |
| INSEE code | 25050 | |
Le Bélieu is a French municipality with 450 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Doubs department in the region of Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Le Bélieu is located at 995 m , seven kilometers north-northeast of Morteau and about 15 km west of the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds (as the crow flies). The village extends in the Jura , in a promising location on a south-facing slope in the extreme southwest of the high plateau of Maîche, on the southwest edge of the Le Mémont ridge.
The area of the 10.72 km² municipal area covers a section of the French Jura. The southern part of the area is occupied by the high plateau of Maîche, which averages 920 m. It is mainly made up of meadow and pasture land, but also shows some forest areas. The hollow at Sous Réaumont has a larger moor area. From the plateau, the municipal area extends northward over the slope of Le Bélieu to the ridge of Le Mémont, which is divided into two ridges by a valley. On the eastern ridge, Le Bélieu's highest point is reached in the Bois Banal at 1043 m. From a geological and tectonic point of view, this ridge forms an anticline of the Jura folds and is oriented in the south-west-north-east direction in accordance with the direction of the mountains in this region. To the west, the parish extends over the saddle of Les Richard to the Percerot hill ( 1020 m ).
In addition to the actual village, Le Bélieu also includes various hamlets and individual farms, including:
- Sous Réaumont ( 927 m ) on the edge of the Maîche plateau at the southern foot of the Bois Banal
- Maisons Derrière ( 922 m ) on the edge of the Maîche plateau at the southern foot of the Bois Banal
- Les Richard ( 945 m ) on the pass between the Val de Morteau and the Vennes basin
- Le Petit Bélieu ( 1020 m ) on the ridge above the village
Neighboring municipalities of Le Bélieu are Guyans-Vennes and La Bosse in the north, Le Bizot in the east, Noël-Cerneux and Les Fins in the south and Fournets-Luisans and Fuans in the west.
history
At the beginning of the 14th century the Réaumont castle was built on the ridge of the Bois Banal east of Le Bélieu. The village thus belonged to the rule of Réaumont, which was under the sovereignty of the Lords of Montfaucon , from the 15th century under that of the Counts of Montbéliard. After the Réaumont castle was destroyed in 1639 by the troops of Duke Bernhard von Sachsen-Weimar , the neighboring Le Bizot became the seat of rule. Together with Franche-Comté , Le Bélieu came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678.
On January 1, 2009 there was a change in the arrondissement membership of the municipality. Previously belonging to the arrondissement of Montbéliard , all municipalities of the canton came to the arrondissement of Pontarlier.
Attractions
The Saint-François d'Assise church was built in 1629 and is richly decorated , including a gilded wooden main altar from the 18th century and an 18th century pulpit. In the center and on the Jura heights there are various farmhouses from the 18th century in the characteristic style of Franche-Comté. Only a few ruins remain of the medieval Réaumont castle .
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 213 |
| 1968 | 201 |
| 1975 | 174 |
| 1982 | 212 |
| 1990 | 249 |
| 1999 | 272 |
| 2006 | 286 |
| 2016 | 443 |
With 450 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), Le Bélieu is one of the small communities in the Doubs department. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (350 people were still counted in 1901), the population has continued to grow again since the mid-1970s.
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Le Bélieu was a village dominated by agriculture (cattle breeding and dairy farming) and forestry. In addition, there are now some local small businesses. In the meantime, the village has also turned into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who go to work in the surrounding larger towns.
The village is off the main thoroughfares, but is easily accessible from the main road D461 (Besançon-Morteau). Further road connections exist with Les Fins, La Bosse and Narbief.
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes du Doubs. Volume 2, Flohic Editions, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-087-6 , pp. 1177-1179.
