Songieu
| Songieu | ||
|---|---|---|
|
||
| local community | Haut Valromey | |
| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Ain | |
| Arrondissement | Belley | |
| Coordinates | 45 ° 58 ′ N , 5 ° 42 ′ E | |
| Post Code | 01260 | |
| Former INSEE code | 01409 | |
| Incorporation | January 1, 2016 | |
| status | Commune déléguée | |
 former Mairie Songieu |
||
Songieu is a former French community with 126 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Ain in the region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . It belonged to the canton of Hauteville-Lompnes and the Arrondissement Belley . The local residents of Songieu are called Songiolan (e) s in French .
With effect from January 1, 2016, Songieu was merged with Le Grand-Abergement , Le Petit-Abergement and Hotonnes to form Commune nouvelle Haut Valromey .
geography
Songieu is located at 735 m , about 24 kilometers north of the city of Belley and 45 kilometers southeast of the prefecture of Bourg-en-Bresse (as the crow flies). The farming village extends in the south-east of Bugey , in a panoramic position on a plateau in the Valromey valley , east of the Séran valley , at the foot of the ridge that stretches north from the Grand Colombier to the Crêt du Nu . The Valromey forms a wide depression between two high Jura ridges oriented in a north-south direction .
In addition to the actual village, Songieu also includes various hamlets and farms:
- Bassieu ( 630 m ) on a ledge on the eastern slope of the Séran
- Sothonod ( 840 m ) on the western slope of the anticline of the Grand Colombier
Neighboring towns of Songieu are Ruffieu , Hotonnes and Lhôpital in the north, Chanay and Corbonod in the east, Brénaz and Champagne-en-Valromey in the south and Lompnieu in the west.
history
The municipality of Songieu was already populated during the Neolithic and Roman times. As early as the 9th century, the first fortress was built on the rocky promontory of Châteauneuf above the Séran valley, which was expanded into a mighty castle in the following centuries. In the Middle Ages, Châteauneuf was a castle town and the capital of Valromey. This is where the Kastlan des Valromey resided, who was appointed by the Counts of Savoy . In 1595 the place and the castle were destroyed by French troops. With the Treaty of Lyon in 1601 the whole area finally came to France.
Attractions
The village church of Songieu was built in the late Gothic style. At the entrance to the cemetery is a linden tree that was planted in 1601 as part of the annexation to the Kingdom of France. There is a Gothic chapel in Sothonod . The remains of the fortifications and the keep of the medieval castle of Châteauneuf have been preserved.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 174 |
| 1968 | 165 |
| 1975 | 142 |
| 1982 | 126 |
| 1990 | 101 |
| 1999 | 125 |
| 2006 | 118 |
| 2011 | 130 |
After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century, it has remained at an almost constant level since the beginning of the 1980s.
Economy and Infrastructure
Until well into the 20th century, Songieu was primarily an agricultural village. Even today, the residents mainly live from their work in the first sector. Some workers are also commuters who work in the larger towns in the area.
The village is located off the major thoroughfares on a departmental road that leads from Champagne-en-Valromey to Hotonnes. There are other road connections with Lompnieu and over the Hergues ridge with Injoux in the Rhône Valley.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ André Buisson: Carte Archéologique de la Gaule - Ain 01 . Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres , 1990, ISBN 2-87754-010-3 , pp. 67 (French, limited preview in Google Book search).
- ^ Marie-Claude Guigue: Topography Historique du Département de l'Ain . Bourg-en-Bresse et Lyon, A. Brun, 1873, p. 85 (French, online [accessed January 18, 2014]).
- ^ Songieu - notice communal. In: cassini.ehess.fr. Retrieved on June 14, 2015 (French, INSEE population from 1968 ).