Montanges
| Montanges | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Ain | |
| Arrondissement | Nantua | |
| Canton | Bellegarde-sur-Valserine | |
| Community association | Pays Bellegardien | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 10 ′ N , 5 ° 48 ′ E | |
| height | 375–1,090 m | |
| surface | 13.70 km 2 | |
| Residents | 344 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 25 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 01200 | |
| INSEE code | 01257 | |
Montanges is a French municipality with 344 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Ain in the region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . It belongs to the canton of Bellegarde-sur-Valserine in the Arrondissement of Nantua and is a member of the Pays Bellegardien municipal association .
geography
Montanges is located at 602 m , about seven kilometers north of the town of Bellegarde-sur-Valserine and 44 kilometers east of the prefecture of Bourg-en-Bresse (as the crow flies). The farming village extends in the French Jura on a plateau sloping slightly to the south over the confluence of the Semine and Valserine , west of the ridge of the Grand Crêt d'Eau .
The area of the 13.70 km² municipal area includes a section of the Upper Jura. The area is bordered by the rivers of Semine in the southwest and Valserine in the east. As a result of their erosion work, both have dug around 100 m deep ravines into the area, which are accompanied by steep slopes, some of which are criss-crossed with rock bands. To the north, the community area extends over the plateau of Montanges into the strongly reliefed area of the French Jura. On the southern slope of the Cruchon is 1090 m above sea level. M. reached the highest point of Montanges. The valley of the Sandezanne (tributary of the Valserine) and the Combe du Collet , a high valley west of the Cruchon, also belong to the municipality. The municipality is part of the Upper Jura Regional Nature Park (French: Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura ).
In addition to the actual village, Montanges also includes various hamlets and farms, including:
- Le Fay ( 640 m ) in a side valley of the Semine
- Echazeau ( 780 m ) in a side valley of the Semine
Neighboring municipalities of Montanges are Champfromier in the north, Chézery-Forens and Confort in the east, Châtillon-en-Michaille in the south and Saint-Germain-de-Joux in the west.
history
The village belonged to the territory of Nantua, but was sacked in 1248 at the instigation of the Lords of Gex. In the 14th century Montanges came under the rule of the Thoire-Villars.
Attractions
The village church of Montanges was built in Gothic style and expanded in the 17th century. The medieval manor house was redesigned several times in the 16th and 19th centuries and is flanked by two towers. The ruins of La Bâtie Castle, built in the 14th century, have been preserved.
To the east of Montanges is the Pont des Pierres , a concrete arch bridge built in 1957 that spans the Valserine gorge at a height of around 60 m. It replaces a previous building that had been built in 1909 for an overland tram between Bellegarde and Chézery-Forens and which was blown up by the Resistance in 1944 during the Second World War . With a bridge arch made of natural stone (French: pierres ), the original construction under the bridges of this size was a specialty. In the gorge below the bridge there is a nature reserve. Up to 15 bat species have been observed there, wintering in old tunnels.
Population development
| year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 225 |
| 1968 | 226 |
| 1975 | 192 |
| 1982 | 191 |
| 1990 | 248 |
| 1999 | 282 |
| 2006 | 330 |
| 2011 | 327 |
With 344 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), Montanges is one of the small communities in the Ain department. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century, population growth has been recorded again since the early 1980s. The local residents of Montanges are called Montangers or Montangères in French .
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Montanges was a predominantly agricultural village. In addition, there are now some local small businesses. In the meantime the village has also developed into a residential community. Many of the employed people are commuters who work in the larger towns in the area and mainly in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine.
The village is located off the major thoroughfares on the D14 department road, which leads from Tacon (on the D1084) through the Valserine valley to Chézery-Forens. There are other road connections with Giron and Confort. The closest connection to the A40 motorway is around 13 kilometers away.
In Montanges there is a state école primaire (elementary school with an integrated preschool ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Marie-Claude Guigue: Topography Historique du Département de l'Ain . Bourg-en-Bresse et Lyon, A. Brun, 1873, p. 243 (French, online [accessed January 18, 2014]).
- ↑ Pont des Pierres. In: Structurae
- ^ La gallery souterraine du Pont-des-Pierres. (PDF; 1.1 MB) Retrieved January 28, 2014 (French).
- ↑ French Statistics Institute ( www.insee.fr )
- ↑ Montanges - notice communal. In: cassini.ehess.fr. Retrieved June 7, 2015 (French, INSEE population from 1968 ).