Salins-les-Bains
| Salins-les-Bains | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | law | |
| Arrondissement | Dole | |
| Canton | Arbois | |
| Community association | Arbois, Poligny, Salins, Cœur du Jura | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 56 ' N , 5 ° 53' E | |
| height | 284-737 m | |
| surface | 24.68 km 2 | |
| Residents | 2,586 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 105 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 39110 | |
| INSEE code | 39500 | |
| Website | www.salins-les-bains.com | |
Salins-les-Bains is a French city in the Jura department . It has 2586 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017). Salins was the main town of the canton of the same name with around 6,600 inhabitants until 2015 . As the place name suggests, the salt industry was the city's most important industry. Salins maintains a town partnership with Horb am Neckar .
location
Salins-les-Bains is located in the valley of the Furieuse , which here leaves the Jura Mountains through a narrow S-shaped valley and flows towards the wide valley of the Loue in the north-west. To the south of the city lies the fertile Bracon plateau , which forms its own municipality, the area of which almost reaches the city center of Salins. Agriculture is only possible here, the otherwise very steep, rocky slopes do not allow cultivation, the earlier viticulture was given up in the 19th century.
Due to this topography, the city itself has an elongated settlement pattern. While the main road runs about 350 m above sea level, steep mountains rise in the east and west, which are dominated by the fortresses Fort Saint-André in the west (584 m) and Fort Belin in the east (604 m). In the north, the Mont Poupet towers at a height of 853 m. Numerous salty springs arise under the city.
traffic
Salins-les-Bains is located in a strategically special place: the connection Paris - Burgundy - Lausanne , here the D 472, enters the Jura mountains and has to cross the narrow valley and thus the urban area. The N83 , which connects Lyon with Strasbourg , runs about seven kilometers to the west . Salins no longer has its own train station and is served by an SNCF bus line. However , the Mouchard train station , which is also served by the TGV , is eight kilometers away . Paris can be reached from there in two hours.
history
The urban area was already settled in Celtic times. There were fortifications on the mountain of Fort Saint-André, as well as on the mountain to the west of it, which is still called the chateau today. Instead of the fortress Fort Belin, a Celtic sanctuary is to be assumed. The inhabitants of the settlement lived from trade with inner Gaul and Italy and from the income from salt production. A high population is likely, some researchers see in Salins the Gallic oppidum Alesia , described by Caesar , in which the Gallic troops were defeated by the Romans . Then the area was assigned to the Roman Empire and the province of Germania superior with its capital Mainz . Far more important than the distant provincial capital, however, remained the nearby metropolis of Vesontio, today's Besançon . The exploitation of the saline springs continued under Roman rule.
There is no news of the city from the first centuries AD , but continued, easier settlement is likely. In the year 523, the settlement in Quellen first appeared as a Salinarum, with which the salt industry was also mentioned in a document for the first time. Around the year 1000 the city then had two owners: the northern part belongs to the Count of Burgundy , the southern part of the city belongs to the Sire de Salins. In the 13th century one of these gentlemen, namely Jean de Chalon the Elder , gained great power in Burgundy. While other nobles of this time owed their income solely to their possession of arable land, he was able to rely on income from the salt springs , which gave him a special financial position. Thanks to his political skills, he won feudal men and the favor of the bishops and was able to buy soldiers and citizens. In 1249 he granted the city of Salins extensive freedom. The fortifications were reinforced, castles were built to protect the salt works and churches were built. Monks settled down and founded monasteries and hospitals. Salins became the economic center of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and with 5,700 inhabitants in the 17th century the second largest town in the country. This even surpassed the then capital Dole .
This prosperity lasted until the annexation of Franche-Comté by the Kingdom of France in 1674. A final uprising against the French under Lacuzon was suppressed in Salins. The city lost its leading position as Besançon became the capital of the centralized province. However, Salins kept its salt industry, which was modernized and expanded. The architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux built another saltworks in the Chaux forest , 30 kilometers from Salins, which was operated with the brine from Salins. These production facilities were also protected by new fortifications, in which a garrison was stationed. The city received the title "Place de guerre". Due to the economic development, the population rose to over 8,000 by 1789.
With the revolution that broke out that year , Salins' economic decline began. The city took an active part in the revolution, so that it was honored for its services by the National Assembly in Paris on August 18, 1792. When the new departments were introduced, however, Lons-le-Saunier , which was located to the south and was then smaller, was given the status of capital. The Salins, which was too remote in the new Jura department , only became the seat of the canton. Another blow hit the city in 1825: the entire southern section burned down, and reconstruction took years. It was also clearly noticeable that the salt industry was generating less profit because it was cheaper to produce elsewhere. As in other salt cities, the city fathers tried to market the healing properties of the brine . Salins was developed into a spa town . In 1857 the new status was improved once again by the connection to the railway network with a direct connection to Paris. Members of the imperial family promoted the city, so that an elegant and sophisticated spa with hotels, promenades and casino was created. With the Franco-German War , in which Salins was occupied by Prussian troops, the French Empire ended. Salins' decline finally began.
In 1962 the saltworks was closed and the number of spa guests decreased. So the population has fallen to around 3,000 people to date.
Cityscape
Few statements can be made about the shape of the ancient settlements, but the city structure in the Middle Ages is certain. Due to the topography, the city of Salins developed into a ribbon city that developed in the narrow valley between the steep slopes of the surrounding mountains, which are difficult to walk. Several settlement cores were the result, which had different owners. The northern part of the city is known as Bourg-Dessous and originally belonged to the Count of Burgundy. The heart of the district is the Saint Maurice church. The southern district of Bourg-Dessus was the property of the Lords of Salins. This district is dominated by the Saint-Anatoile church. The saltworks lay between the two parts. It was a city within the city, with its own city wall , its own residential buildings, its own jurisdiction and administration, and its own church. Directly next to it was a bourgeois, free district, where the spa facilities and the town hall were later built. The two parish churches of Notre-Dame and Notre-Dame Libératrice can be found here.
Due to the numerous fires and the natural conditions, Salins is today a city made of stone, which is characterized by baroque and, above all, classicist town houses. The topography created a system of parallel streets that can only meet at an acute angle due to the height differences. To the north and south, suburbs have developed that accommodate businesses, schools and modern residential buildings.
Salins was connected to the French railway network in 1857 and also owned a narrow-gauge railway that connected the train station, the Saline and other commercial enterprises in the urban area. Today, car traffic in the dense, narrow valley has a disruptive effect on the atmosphere and cleanliness of the city.
economy
Great salt works
Until it was closed in 1962, the saline was the center of the economy . It was mentioned for the first time in a document from the Flavigny monastery in 791, although it has probably been exploited for centuries at that time. In the 12th century there were two salt springs that soon belonged to the Dukes of Burgundy. After the annexation to France in 1678 the salt springs and salt works became state property. Various companies leased the facilities until they were sold to the city in 1966. Today the spa facilities with the thermal bath are operated with the brine obtained there .
In the Middle Ages, salt was known as “white gold”, as salt production and trade made enormous profits. The salt springs of Salins were therefore made more accessible through underground tunnels as early as the 13th century. Additional wells were also drilled there. From the 18th century the salt water obtained in this way could be pumped upwards with the help of water power (Furieuse River); until then this was done with mere muscle power. In the above-ground production facilities, the brine was boiled in huge pans for 12-18 hours until the water had evaporated and the salt could be formed into balls to dry.
Over time, however, better and cheaper production methods were developed, so that the Saline of Salins could no longer be operated profitably. In addition, wood was needed as fuel for boiling, which the forests around Salins could no longer supply. Part of the production was relocated to Chaux as early as the 18th century, where a large forest ( Forêt de Chaux ) could be exploited. The supply of coal also proved uneconomical.
The saltworks were named a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2009, together with the royal saltworks in Arc-et-Senans, which were named in 1982 .
Faience
Since the 18th century were in Salins faience produced. Due to the plentiful supply of raw materials, four companies producing faience have survived to this day, including in the former Capuchin monastery.
tourism
Today tourism is the most important economic pillar of Salins. As early as the 19th century, the development into a health resort began with numerous facilities such as thermal baths, health resorts, hospitals and a casino. In France too, however, there was a rethink in the healthcare system that made many traditional health resorts superfluous. That is why Salins has been concentrating on gentle nature, family and adventure tourism for several years.
Agriculture
In the urban area, almost no agriculture is possible. The earlier viticulture was destroyed by phylloxera . Only the area of Bracon, located to the south outside the urban area, allows livestock and grain farming.
In addition, the agricultural bank Credit mutuel agricole de France was founded in Salins .
Attractions
Saint-Anatoile church
The most important church in the town is the Church of Saint-Anatoile. It is the parish church of the southern city. A first building was erected around 1024 and 1031. The name is reminiscent of a hermit who is said to have performed numerous miracles in Salins and is the city's patron saint to this day . A second building was erected from 1257 and we can still find it today. Some archaisms in the choir and transept probably point to older additions to the previous building. In 1325, 1336, 1469 and 1669 repairs and additions such as chapels and tower were made. After a landslide in the 15th century, however, the apse had to be removed. In 1826 the roof structure burned down, in 1867 the church was listed as a historical monument .
Today the church has a cruciform floor plan. The longship widens slightly towards the entrance in the west and has six bays. The walls were built in the Romanesque order and show numerous similarities with other Burgundian and Cistercian churches. The longship is accompanied by side aisles. Five chapels surround the core of the church. The wooden door dates from 1516.
Saint-Maurice Church
The church emerged from a royal monastery and was built in the 13th century . Stylistically, there are numerous similarities to St. Anatoile, here too the apse was removed (1832) - in this case, however, to widen the street at the rear. An equestrian statue of St. Mauritius is worth seeing. The church is the parish church of the northern part of the city.
Notre-Dame Libératrice chapel
In 1639 Salins was ravaged by the plague and troops of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar . To mitigate the devastating consequences, the city decided to build a chapel in honor of Mary when the city was liberated. In 1642 the city was occupied by French troops and the chapel began to be built on the free area of the community between the upper, lower and salt works. In 1662 the building was completed in the classic style of pre-revolutionary France. The model for the design was the round church of Santa Maria di Loreto in Rome , an elliptical round church. In this way, a space was built without disruptive supports and with a strong community-promoting design.
town hall
Directly after the Notre-Dame Libératrice chapel, the town hall (Hôtel de Ville) was built in 1718–1739 . The building structure created a space to which a few streets lead under the town hall. The building also used to house the court. A large audience hall takes up almost the entire first floor, including the main entrance and the entrance to the chapel. A plaque commemorates the achievements of the citizens of Salins during the revolution.
Saltworks
Due to several fires and demolitions, the saltworks, formerly a city within the city, is no longer completely preserved. From the fort you can still see some sections of the wall, two towers and the main gate. The building still contains the director's house, a production hall with salt pans ( museum ) and an outbuilding (tourist information). The underground tunnels from the 13th century with their Romanesque arches are completely preserved. The technical equipment such as the pump, the salty water ( brine ) and fresh water (to drive the pump) sewage system can also be admired. The remaining area has been converted into green spaces.
Fort Belin
Erected in the 19th century to protect the Paris-Lausanne road, the fort is 603 m above sea level. It replaced a medieval castle, which in turn took the place of a Gallo-Roman sanctuary. The fortress offers a good view of the city.
Fort Saint-André
At an altitude of 624 m, the Fort Saint-André is located directly above the city. It was built under Louis XIV by the well-known fortress builder Vauban . Several lines of defense protect the entrance, the main gate bears the inscription " Nec pluribus impar ". Inside the fortress are the commandant's house, weapons depot and barracks. The roll call square is characterized by a chapel in the sober, classical style of the end of the 16th century. Today the fort serves as a holiday complex and offers apartments for families. An adventure park with a climbing garden was built in the fortress' forecourt.
Personalities
- Franz von Lisola (1613–1674), diplomat and publicist
- Pierre-Joseph Thoulier d'Olivet (1682–1768), grammarian and member of the Académie française
- Charles Galibert (1826-1858), composer
- Victor Considerant (1808-1893), philosopher, economist, politician
- Paul Rémond (1873–1963), Bishop of Nice
literature
- Marandet, Philippe: Promenade à travers le Vieux Salins. Petit guide historique et architectural , Salins-les-Bains o.J.
- Comité Régional du Tourismus de Franche-Comté: Salins-les-Bains. Petite Cité Comtoise de Caractère , Salins-les-Bains, 2002
- Moulun, Maurice: Les Salines de Salins-les-Bains , Salins-les-Bains o.J.
- Coindre, Gaston (et al.): Salins-les-Bains . Saint-Anatoile, Salins-les-Bains o.J.
- Coindre, Gaston (and others): Notre-Dame Libératrice , Salins-les-Bains o.J.
- Halle, Guy le: Histoire des Fortifications en Franche-Comté et pays de l'Ain , Amiens o. J., ISBN 2-87890-009-X
- Brabis, David (Red.): Burgundy. French law , Karlsruhe 2004, ISBN 2-06-000230-3
Web links
- http://www.salins-les-bains.com
- http://www.salinesdesalins.com
- http://www.thermes-salins.com
- http://www.fort-st-andre.com
- Illustration by Daniel Meisner from 1624: Salin inn Búrgúndt; Parnasso Fabula Turpis Eris ( digitized version )