Brénod

Brénod is a municipality with 543 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the French department of Ain ​​, in the Rhône -Alpes. It is capital of the canton in the Arrondissement Brénod Nantua.

Geography

Brénod is located on 853 m above sea level. M., nine kilometers north of Hauteville- Lompnes and about 23 kilometers northeast of the city Ambérieu -en- Bugey (air line). The village is located in the central Bugey, on the northern edge of a broad valley of the high Jura, which belongs to the Plateau d' Hauteville, at the Albarine.

The area of ​​23.79 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the southern French Jura. The main part of a wide -oriented in north-south direction well ( to an average of 830 m above sea level. M. ) ingested, forming a syncline the Jura folds. This trough is drained by the Albarine south. In the West, this sink is limited by the anticline of the Grande Montagne ( to 1091 m above sea level. M. ). North of Brénod the valley narrows rapidly and ends in the valley of Combe de Férirand, in which also the Etang de Marron is.

In the east the valley of Brénod is flanked by the northern foothills of the plan Agate anticline. It forms with 1120 m above sea level. M. the highest elevation of Brénod. However, a large part of the vault was removed by erosion, so here originated with the Combe de Lechaud an inlier. It represents the headwaters of the Albarine represents, has various bogs, and is in the west of the site rib of the Forêt de Pré- Goyet ( 1045 m above sea level. M. ), to the east of the Forêt des Moussières (up to 1100 m above sea level. M. ) limited.

To Brénod addition to the actual site includes various hamlets, groups of farms and individual farms, including:

• Maconnod (940 m above sea level. M. ) at the western foot of the Forêt des Moussières
• Pré de Joux (940 m above sea level. M. ) in the Combe de Férirand

Neighboring communities of Brénod are Saint -Martin- du- Frêne and Les Neyrolles in the north, Le Petit- Abergement in the east, and Champdor Corcelles in the south and Vieu - d'Izenave and Chevillard in the West.

History

The area around Brénod was cleared in the Middle Ages by the monks of the Carthusian monastery later Meyriat and reclaimed. From the 12th century the ecclesiastical supremacy was up to the monastery of Nantua, while the secular power was first exercised by the Thoire -Villars and 1424 by the Counts of Savoy. The Treaty of Lyon Brénod arrived in 1601 to France.

Attractions

The parish church of Brénod was built in the 15th and 16th century in the Gothic style and later remodeled. It has a pulpit from the building time and a marble main altar.

Population

With 543 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Brénod one of the small communities of the department of Ain. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (1896 836 persons were still counted ), a population growth was recorded since the early 1990s again.

Economy and infrastructure

Brénod was until well into the 20th century a predominantly coined by agriculture, especially livestock and dairy farming, as well as by the forestry village. In addition, there are today some of the local small business enterprises. Meanwhile, the village has also changed into a residential community. Many workers are commuters who engage in the larger towns in the vicinity of their work.

In winter Brénod benefited from tourism, if cross-country trails are groomed on the Plateau d' Hauteville and on the surrounding heights. In summer, the landscape around Brénod is a popular recreation area.

The village is located off the major thoroughfares on a secondary road that leads from Saint -Martin- du- Frêne after Hauteville- Lompnes. Further road links exist with Ruffieu in Valromey, Corcelles and Les Neyrolles. The nearest links to the A40 motorway is located at a distance of around 15 km.