Challex
| Challex | ||
|---|---|---|
.svg)
|
|
|
| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Ain | |
| Arrondissement | Gex | |
| Canton | Thoiry | |
| Community association | Pays de Gex | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 11 ′ N , 5 ° 58 ′ E | |
| height | 330-516 m | |
| surface | 8.67 km 2 | |
| Residents | 1,481 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 171 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 01630 | |
| INSEE code | 01078 | |
| Website | www.challex.fr | |
Challex is a French commune with 1,481 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Ain in the region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . It belongs to the canton of Thoiry in the Gex arrondissement and is a member of the Pays de Gex municipal association .
geography
Challex is located at 485 m , about 14 kilometers west of the city of Geneva (as the crow flies). The wine-growing village extends in the southwest of the Pays de Gex in a panoramic position on the southern slope of a ridge above the Rhone valley , east of the Jura , in the Geneva basin near the state border with Switzerland .
The area of the 8.67 km² municipal area covers a section of the Pays de Gex. The southern border runs along the Rhône, which flows here in a partly winding course through a 300 to 500 m wide valley. The Rhône is dammed below Challex by a hydroelectric power station. The tertiary molasse basin of Geneva was shaped by the ice age Rhone glacier . Due to erosion work, the Rhone cut into the deposits in the post-ice age, which is why the valley is accompanied by around 60 m high slopes. The community area extends from the course of the river to the adjacent plateau (around 430 m ) and the ridge of Challex, on which the highest point in the community is reached at 516 m . The plateau is subdivided by the erosion channels of various short side streams of the Rhône, including the Ruisseau des Charmilles , which forms the eastern border. To the west, the border runs along the Groise stream .
In addition to the actual village, Challex also includes various hamlets and farms, including:
- Gaillardin ( 400 m ) on the terrace north of the Rhône below the village
- Mucelle ( 500 m ) on the ridge of Challex
- Marougy ( 422 m ) on the plateau west of the Rhône valley
Neighboring communities of Challex are Pougny in the south, Péron in the west and the Swiss communities Dardagny in the north, Avully in the east and Chancy in the extreme south.
history
Challex is first mentioned in a document in 1298 under the name Chaloys . Over time, the spelling changed via Chaloes (1308), Chalois (1332), Chaloex (1344), Chalay (1397) to the current name Challex, which is documented in 1437. Later the names Challaix (1738) and Chalais (in the 18th century) appeared. The place name probably goes back to the Gallo-Roman surname Calius and means something like estate that Calius (Caliacum).
In the Middle Ages , Challex was the seat of the Kastlanei Corbière, which was the scene of disputes between the Counts of Geneva and the Counts of Savoy in the 13th and 14th centuries . In the 14th century the village came under the suzerainty of the Savoy. Challex then shared the eventful history of the Pays de Gex , with which it finally came to France after the conclusion of the Treaty of Lyon in 1601.
Attractions
The parish church of Saint-Maurice in Challex originally goes back to a Romanesque building. The church was given its present form as part of extensive redesign in the 19th century; the choir dates from the 15th century. The ruins of the former Château de Corbière still exist. Various farmhouses from the 17th to 19th centuries have been preserved in the town center.
Saint-Maurice Church
Cemetery by the church
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 479 |
| 1968 | 545 |
| 1975 | 712 |
| 1982 | 817 |
| 1990 | 967 |
| 1999 | 1057 |
| 2006 | 1059 |
| 2017 | 1481 |
With 1,481 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) Challex is one of the smaller communities in the Ain department. The population has continued to grow rapidly since the mid-1960s. Numerous new single-family houses were built outside the old town center. The local residents of Challex are called Challaisien (ne) s in French .
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Challex was a predominantly agricultural village. Viticulture still plays an important role as a source of income today . There are also some local small businesses. In the meantime, the border village has also turned into a residential community. Many workers are commuters who work in the larger towns of the Pays de Gex or as cross-border commuters in the agglomeration of Geneva.
The village is located off the major thoroughfares on a departmental road that leads from Pougny to Saint-Jean-de-Gonville . This makes the four-lane expressway D884 ( Collonges - Saint-Genis-Pouilly ) easily accessible. Further road connections exist with La Plaine and Dardagny in the canton of Geneva.
The Chancy-Pougny run-of-river power plant, built in 1924, is located in the municipality . In Challex there is a state école primaire (elementary school with an integrated preschool ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ French Statistics Institute ( www.insee.fr )
- ^ Challex - notice communale. In: cassini.ehess.fr. Retrieved June 21, 2015 (French, INSEE population from 1968 ).