Les Fourgs
| Les Fourgs | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | Doubs | |
| Arrondissement | Pontarlier | |
| Canton | Frasne | |
| Community association | Lacs et Montagnes du Haut-Doubs | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 50 ′ N , 6 ° 24 ′ E | |
| height | 899-1,242 m | |
| surface | 27.99 km 2 | |
| Residents | 1,381 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 49 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 25300 | |
| INSEE code | 25254 | |
Les Fourgs is a French commune with 1,381 inhabitants (as of January 1 2017) in Doubs in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Les Fourgs is located at 1090 m above sea level and is therefore the highest municipality in the Doubs department, about nine kilometers south-southeast of the city of Pontarlier (as the crow flies). The street-line village extends in the Jura , on a wide plateau between the valley of the Fontaine Ronde in the west and the Mont des Verrières in the northeast, at the northern foot of the Crêt du Vourbey, near the border with Switzerland .
The area of the 27.99 km² municipality covers a section of the French Jura. The central part of the area is taken up by the high plateau of Les Fourgs, which is an average of 1100 m and consists mainly of pastureland. The western boundary runs in the area of the slope that leads to the Combe de la Fontaine Ronde , which follows an important fault line that crosses the Jura. In the north the border lies above the Roche Sarrazine ( 1190 m ). To the east, the municipal area extends to the little relief heights of Mont des Verrières ( 1216 m ) and Mauvais Crêt ( 1223 m ) and to the south to the Crêt du Vourbey , on which the highest elevation of Les Fourgs is reached at 1246 m. The plateaus show a loose structure of pastureland and forest. There are no surface rivers in the entire municipal area because the rainwater seeps into the karstified subsoil.
In addition to the actual village, Les Fourgs also includes various hamlets, groups of farms and individual farms, including:
- Les Petits-Fourgs-du-Bas ( 1010 m ) on the slope east of the Combe de la Fontaine Ronde
- Les Petits-Fourgs-du Haut ( 1070 m ) on the north-western edge of the high plateau
- L'Orgère ( 1120 m ), new housing estate on the eastern outskirts
- La Haute Joux ( 1140 m ) on the plateau east of the village
- Les Granges Berrard ( 1180 m ) west of the Mauvais Crêt
Neighboring municipalities of Les Fourgs are Les Hôpitaux-Vieux in the south, La Cluse-et-Mijoux in the west and north, Verrières-de-Joux in the northeast and the Swiss municipalities of La Côte-aux-Fées and Sainte-Croix in the east.
history
The municipal area of Les Fourgs was entered very early and possibly also settled, as it was on an important traffic route through the Jura. The earliest find is a hatchet made in the Neolithic . A Gallo-Roman fountain and Roman coins were also discovered. Les Fourgs was first mentioned in a document in the 13th century. Iron used to be mined and smelted here, which is also where the place name is derived ( four is the French name for a furnace ). It has belonged to the Joux dominion since the Middle Ages . Together with Franche-Comté , Les Fourgs came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678. Since 1999, Les Fourgs has been a member of the Communauté de communes du Mont d'Or et des Deux Lacs, comprising 19 localities .
Attractions
The Assumption Church ( Église de l'Assomption ) in Les Fourgs was given its current appearance when it was rebuilt in 1831. The Chapelle du Tourillot, which was donated by the residents in 1925 because Les Fourgs was in the First World War, stands on a hill east of the village had been spared by the German troops.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 774 |
| 1968 | 742 |
| 1975 | 753 |
| 1982 | 806 |
| 1990 | 941 |
| 1999 | 1058 |
| 2006 | 1164 |
| 2016 | 1345 |
With 1,381 inhabitants (January 1, 2017), Les Fourgs is one of the smaller municipalities in the Doubs department. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (1187 people were counted in 1881), population growth has been recorded again since the beginning of the 1970s thanks to the location.
Economy and Infrastructure
For a long time, Les Fourgs was primarily a village characterized by agriculture, in particular dairy and cattle breeding, as well as forestry. In addition, there are now some small and medium-sized businesses, including in the wood processing and toy manufacturing industries. 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.
As a resort in a popular excursion area in the High Jura, Les Fourgs now also benefits from tourism. The municipality is mainly geared towards winter tourism. Nordic skiing (cross-country skiing) is important, as is alpine skiing. The slopes of the Crêt du Vourbey are accessed by several ski lifts.
The village is very well developed in terms of traffic. It is located on a departmental road that leads from Pontarlier via Sainte-Croix to Yverdon-les-Bains .
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes du Doubs. Volume 2, Flohic Editions, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-087-6 , pp. 966-967.
