Molines-en-Queyras
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Molines-en-Queyras Molinas en Cairàs |
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| region | Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur | |
| Department | Hautes-Alpes | |
| Arrondissement | Briançon | |
| Canton | Guillestre | |
| Community association | Guillestrois et Queyras | |
| Coordinates | 44 ° 44 ' N , 6 ° 51' E | |
| height | 1,625-3,160 m | |
| surface | 53.62 km 2 | |
| Residents | 300 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 6 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 05350 | |
| INSEE code | 05077 | |
 View from Molines to the Alps |
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Molines-en-Queyras ( Occitan Molinas en Cairàs ) is a French commune of 300 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the Hautes-Alpes in the region of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur . It belongs to the Arrondissement Briançon and the community association Guillestrois et Queyras . With over 50 km² and an altitude of 1756 m (town hall), Molines-en-Queyras is one of the largest and highest municipalities in France.
geography
The municipality of Molines-en-Queyras is located in the center of the Queyras landscape in the Cottian Alps and in the middle of the Queyras Regional Nature Park . In the east, the municipality extends to the main Alpine ridge , which marks the border between France and Italy . The mountain rivers Aigue Blanche and Aigue Agnelle , coming from the south-east and forming wide trough valleys, converge just south of the town and drain into the Guil six kilometers further north . The two rivers mentioned are fed by numerous mountain streams and framed by mountain foothills lying across the main Alpine ridge that reach heights of over 2200 m.
These include:
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west of Molines
north of the Aigue Agnelle
south of the Aigue Agnelle
on the main Alpine ridge
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Molines-en-Queyras includes the districts of La Rua, L'Adret, Gaudissart, Pierre Grosse, Château Renard, Le Coin and Fontgillarde .
Neighboring communities of Molines-en-Queyras are Château-Ville-Vieille in the north-west and north, Aiguilles in the north-east, Abriès-Ristolas in the east, Pontechianale (Italy) in the south-east, Saint-Véran in the south and Ceillac in the south-west.
History and heritage
At the end of the Middle Ages, Molines-en-Queyras was part of the peasant republic of Briançon ( République des Escartons de Briançon ), which existed until 1713. In the core town of Molines, the most striking building is the Church of St. Romanus , which in its present form dates from the 17th century. The tower of the listed church has a shingle roof made of larch wood , which is typical for the area ; in the church there is a remarkable carved altarpiece. A reformed church is located in the Fontgillarde district , the St. Sebastian chapel in the Pierre Grosse district .
The community with its districts has partially been able to retain the character of old farming and shepherd villages. You can find numerous relics from the past, such as wooden fountains, stand-alone bread ovens, sundials or huts where milk used to be collected. Some of the traditionally built wooden houses from the 17th and 18th centuries have been well preserved, the windows of a stone house from the 15th century and the door of a house from the 16th century are listed as historical monument .
From 1801 to 2015 the municipality belonged to the canton of Aiguilles , which was abandoned in March 2015 as part of the nationwide reorganization of the cantons.
Costeroux
There was a hamlet called Costeroux between the Fontgillarde district, at an altitude of 1990 m, and the Col Agnel , which marks the border with Italy . It was located at 2100 m above sea level, making it the highest place in Europe that was inhabited all year round. In contrast to the neighboring town of Fontgillarde to the west , there was little forest above Costeroux, so the town was repeatedly affected by avalanches. In 1706 an avalanche in Costeroux destroyed eleven houses. In 1788, 21 residents died in avalanches and 43 houses were destroyed. According to a cadastral map, the village only had eleven inhabited houses in 1824. In the middle of the 19th century, the last inhabitants left the place in lower lying areas or emigrated overseas. Today only a few relics remind of the village, such as two sheepfolds ( Bergerie ), the oratory Notre-Dame du Berceau , a bridge ( Pont de Lariane ) and an irrigation canal ( Canal de Rouchas Frach ) that is unique in its shape.
Canal de Rouchas Frach
The Canal de Rouchas Frach is a man-made narrow irrigation canal that draws water from the Aigue Agnelle River to agricultural crops up to eight kilometers away. Functionally similar facilities can be found locally as Suonen , Bissen or Fuhren in the Swiss canton of Valais , Fluder in Austria, Wuhr in the southern Black Forest, Waale in the South Tyrolean Vinschgau , Fléizen in the Luxembourg Ardennes or Levadas in Madeira . The beginnings of the Canal de Rouchas Frach go back to the 15th century. Up until the 20th century, the canal was constantly being rebuilt, expanded and repaired. The starting point of the canal is only a few hundred meters below the junction of several source streams to the Aigue Agnelle at an altitude of 2250 m above sea level. The water introduced into the canal here flows with a slight gradient along the slope above the right bank of the river. The channel is a maximum of one meter wide and approx. 50 cm deep. It runs above the mountain pastures used for summer pastures . The irrigation of these pastures was the main reason for the construction of the canals, because the slopes sloping to the south had to deal with severe drought in summers with little precipitation. The irrigation made it possible to bring in at least two hay harvests a year. The water was also diverted for watering cattle and was used as process water for the shepherds' and farmhouses in the three villages of Costeroux, Fontgillarde and Le Coin . Another function of the canal was to catch heavy rain and meltwater and to distribute it more evenly. The construction and maintenance of the canal was a joint task of the three villages mentioned. The work was particularly difficult, especially after snow or rubble avalanches. Only rock material found on site was used for the construction of the canal; Wood was also used for smaller bridges over mountain streams to be crossed and for covers that were necessary in some sections. Over the centuries, precise records have been kept of the amount of water used by individual customers. In 1914 the Canal de Rouchas Frach was overhauled for the last time. Since then, it has only been used for tourist purposes, especially since a hiking trail runs parallel to the canal over a length of eight kilometers. This hiking trail has been upgraded with numerous display boards since 2012.
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2011 | 2017 |
| Residents | 269 | 244 | 288 | 375 | 336 | 322 | 325 | 307 | 300 |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | |||||||||
Economy and Infrastructure
The main occupation in Molines-en-Queyras is now the hospitality industry. There are numerous hotels and pensions available for tourists. The main season is winter when the ski lifts in the nearby Risoul 1850 resort are in operation and the slopes are groomed. There are also smaller ski areas in the municipality of Molines-en-Queyras, as well as numerous well-marked hiking trails. There are still 13 farms in the municipality. There are 23 farms in the community (grain cultivation, dairy farming, breeding of horses, cattle, sheep and goats).
From Gap on the A 51 you can reach Molines-en-Queyras via the Durancetal and the Guiltal . Molines-en-Queyras is also on the road connection from Briançon over the Col Agnel to Cuneo in Italy . The Tour de France led through Molines twice : 2008 ( 15th stage ) and 2011 ( 18th stage ).
Personalities
- François Dufay (* 1963 in Paris, † February 25, 2009 in Molines-en-Queyras), French journalist and writer
supporting documents
- ↑ Entry no.PA00080579 in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French), accessed on April 10, 2014
- ↑ history www.escartonduqueyras.com. Retrieved April 6, 2014 (French).
- ↑ Entry no. PA00135710 in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French), accessed on April 10, 2014
- ↑ Entry no.PA00080580 in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French), accessed on April 10, 2014
- ↑ Hiking trail on the Canal de Rouchas Frach (French)
- ↑ Canal de Rouchas Frach with many pictures (French)
- ↑ Molines-en-Queyras on cassini.ehess.fr
- ↑ Molines-en-Queyras on insee.fr
- ↑ Farms on annuaire-mairie.fr (French)
