Chézery-Forens

Chézery -Forens is a commune in the French department of Ain, in the Rhône -Alpes.

Geography

Chézery -Forens is located on 585 m above sea level. Level, about 22 kilometers west of the city of Geneva (air line). The double municipality extends in the longitudinal valley of the French Jura Valserine, which forms a wide valley, here, at the southern foot of the Cret de Chalam.

The area of ​​46.57 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the high Jura. The area is drained by the Valserine (right tributary of the Rhone ) from northeast to southwest. In the area of Chézery and Forens the valley opens out into a wide basin with a flat valley floor, which is almost a kilometer wide. The Valserine passes through the accompanied by steep cliffs, gorge Défilé de Sous- Balme into this valley widening and leaves it through another bottleneck.

On its west side the Valserine valley is from the wooded ridge of Haute Crête (1415 m above sea level. M. ), Montagne des Moines ( 1408 m above sea level. M. ), Cret de Chalam ( 1545 m above sea level. M. ) and Cret au flanked Merle ( 1448 m above sea level. M. ). To the east of the valley rises the Haute Chaîne, the highest chain of the Jura. It forms an anticline structure geologically composed of rock layers that were deposited during the upper Jurassic period. The crest of this anticline was broken up by the erosion work and removed a large part of the western flank. Even today, the structure based on the rock walls of the Roche Franche when Reculet and on the west against steep rock wall of the Hauptkrete be seen. With 1692 m above sea level. M. is achieved on a pre-summit south of the Reculet the highest elevation of Chézery -Forens. To the south, the municipality area of the Montagne du Cret ( 1160 m above sea level. M. ) and the trough of Menthières reaches to the ridge of the Grand Cret d' Eau ( to 1534 m above sea level. M. ). The territory of Chézery -Forens is part of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut -Jura and the nature reserve Haute Chaîne du Jura.

The double -Forens Chézery community consists of several villages, hamlets and farmsteads, namely:

• Chézery ( 585 m above sea level. M. ) on the Valserine
• Forens (602 m above sea level. M. ) on the western edge of the Talniederung Valserine
• Le Grand Essert (580 m above sea level. M. ) on the eastern edge of the valley
• L' Eperry (750 m above sea level. M. ) on a hillside overlooking Chézery
• Rosset ( 735 m above sea level. M. ) on the eastern flank of the Valserine
• La Rivière (710 m above sea level. M. ) at the western foot of the Reculet below the Roche Franche
• Menthières (1010 m above sea level. M. ), a small resort in a trough northwest of the Grand Cret d' Eau

Neighboring communities of Chézery -Forens are La Pesse Bellecombe and Lélex in the north, Thoiry, Saint -Jean -de- Gonville, Peron and Farges in the east, the south and Confort Montanges and Champfromier in the West.

History

Chézery is first documented in the early 13th century under the name Chesiriacus. In the course of time, changed the spelling on Cheysiriacus ( 1329 ), Cheysirier ( 1344), Cheyserie ( 1365 ), Chissirier ( 1397 ), Cheiserier ( 1572), Cheysery (1675 ) and Cheiseri ( 1690) to Chezery (1790).

In the 12th century the Count of Savoy left the middle section of the Valserine valley to the Cistercian order, whose monks made ​​the valley portion under cultivation and in 1140 founded the monastery Chézery. The monastery was destroyed in 1590 by the Geneva troops. The Treaty of Lyon in 1601, the area was divided: The western part went to France with Forens while Chézery came under the suzerainty of Savoy. As a result, the monastery was rebuilt. It was not until 1760 also Chézery was awarded with the Treaty of Turin, France. Chézery and Forens formed in 1790 two independent communities. The monastery church was built in 1802 completely destroyed by fire.

In the 18th century, the watch industry held in the valley catchment, leading over time to over- population. As not all residents were living in the watchmaking industry or agriculture, it came in the 19th century to larger waves of emigration. 1962 merged municipalities Chézery and Forens to today's double municipality.

Attractions

The present village church was built in 1648 Chézery, contains frescoes from the 17th century and a statue of St. Roland. From the former Cistercian monastery only a few buildings have survived from the 17th century (now used as a hotel ). When Fontaine- Bénite the Chapel Saint- Roland is ( also from the 17th century).

Population

With 449 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Chézery -Forens one of the small communities of the department of Ain. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century, a slight population growth was recorded since the early 1980s again.

Economy and infrastructure

Chézery -Forens was until well into the 20th century a predominantly coined by agriculture and forestry village. Today, there are some establishments of local small businesses. Many working population commuters who engage in the larger towns in the area, mainly in Bellegarde -sur -Valserine their work.

The village is located off the major thoroughfares of the secondary road D991 which leads from Bellegarde- sur -Valserine after Mijoux. Another road connection with Champfromier. The nearest links to the A40 motorway is located at a distance of around 22 kilometers.