Abelcourt

Abelcourt is a commune in Haute -Saône in the Franche -Comté.

Geography

Abel Court is located at an altitude of 262 m above sea level, 8 km west-southwest of Luxeuil -les- Bains and about 21 km north- northeast of the town of Vesoul (air line). The village is located in the northern part of the department, at the western edge of the plain of Luxeuil and Talniederung the Lanterne.

The area of ​​7.46 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the rolling countryside of the south of the Lanterne. The eastern part of the territory occupied by the Alluvialniederung the Lanterne. It is average at 250 meters and has a width of around four kilometers on. However the commune does not reach the bottom of the river. Agricultural land use predominates here.

To the west rises the terrain, which is composed mainly of limestone of the Middle Triassic, gradually at the Haut de Rompeux, on the 302 meters, the highest elevation of Abelcourt is achieved. To the northwest, the municipality's area extends into the vast forest area of the Bois d' Abelcourt ( to 290 m), in which the little valley of the Ruisseau de Rohan is (tributary of Lanterne ). In this area, sandstone occurs from the Lower Triassic apparent.

Neighboring communities of Abelcourt are Briaucourt in the north, Sainte -Marie- de - Chaux in the east, Villers- lès- Luxeuil in the south and Velorcey in the West.

History

Is mentioned in a document Abelcourt under the name Abecourt and Abbecourt. The place name derives from the Germanic personal name Abbilo and the old French word from cort ( court ). Other sources indicate abbé ( abbot ) as the origin of the word. In the Middle Ages Abelcourt belonged to the Free County of Burgundy and in the territory of the Bailliage d' amont. The local government had the monastery of Luxeuil held that since the 13th century operated a mill here. During the Thirty Years' War, the village was largely depopulated. In the 17th century the rule passed to the family of Reinach. Together with the Franche -Comté came Abelcourt with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 definitively to France. At the beginning of the 20th century the village was served by a tram to the network of public transport. The operation on the line in 1934 was discontinued and replaced by a bus service. Today Abelcourt is a member of the 17 localities comprehensive community association Communauté de communes du Pays de Saulx.

Attractions

The village church of Abelcourt of pink sandstone was built from 1847 to 1848. It has three gilded wooden statues from the 18th century. On the Place Saint -Pierre is a Calvaire from the 16th century. Additional area attractions include the ruins of a former manor house ( Château des Tournelles ) and a fountain with a gazebo. The Lavoir from the 19th century, whose roof is supported by numerous columns, once served as a laundry and watering cattle.

Population

With 350 inhabitants ( 1 January 2011) Abelcourt one of the small towns in the Haute- Saône. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (1881 329 persons were still counted ), a continuous population growth was recorded since the mid-1970s again. Since then, the population has more than doubled.

Economy and infrastructure

Was Abelcourt until well into the 20th century a predominantly by agriculture (crops, orchards and livestock ) and forestry embossed village. Today, there are some establishments of local small businesses. In recent decades the village has been transformed into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who engage in the larger towns in the vicinity of their work.

The village is situated away from the larger passage axes on a secondary road that leads from Luxeuil -les- Bains to La Villedieu -en- Fontenette. Further road links exist with Briaucourt and Villers- lès- Luxeuil.