Les Hôpitaux-Vieux

Les Hôpitaux -Vieux is a commune in the French department Doubs in the Franche -Comté.

Geography

Les Hôpitaux -Vieux is located at 1,032 m above sea level, about 13 km south of the town of Pontarlier (air line). The village is located in the Jura, in a small valley in the headwaters of Bief Bleu, at the western foot of the ridge of Mont de l' Herba, near the Col de Jougne and the border with Switzerland.

The area of ​​14:21 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The southwestern part of the area occupied by the valley of Les Hôpitaux -Vieux, in which the Bief Bleu springs. It ensures the drainage southwest to Rouge Bief and thus to the Doubs. In the extreme southwest of the community ground enough on the hill Miroir ( 1114 m).

The western boundary is the Combe du Grand Essart that follows a major fault line across the Jura. From this Talfurche and the basin of Les Hôpitaux -Vieux, the municipality's area extends eastward to the adjacent ridge of Cret du Vourbey ( 1223 m) and Mont de l' Herba, reached on with 1303 m the highest peak of Les Hôpitaux -Vieux will. To the east to the already lying in the high area of ​​Switzerland Auberson towards the Combe du Voirnon opens. The area shows a loose structure of pasture and woodland areas. It has no surface watercourses, because the rainwater seeps into the karst underground.

Neighboring municipalities of Les Hôpitaux -Vieux are Jougne and Les Hôpitaux - Neufs in the south, Touillon -et- Loutelet and Montperreux in the West, La Cluse- et- Mijoux and Fourgs in the north and the Swiss towns of Sainte -Croix and Baulmes in the east.

History

The origin of today's settlement goes back to a hospital that Jean de Chalon founded in 1282. In a document of 1393 is the first time a distinction between Hôpital frequent and neighboring Hôpital- Neuf. Since the Middle Ages the village belonged to the rule Joux, which controlled the traffic route from Pontarlier on the Col de Jougne in Switzerland. During the Thirty Years' War it was almost completely destroyed. Together with the Franche -Comté came Les Hôpitaux -Vieux with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 to France. Since 1999, Les Hôpitaux -Vieux administrative headquarters of the 19 villages of comprehensive community association Communauté de communes du Mont d' Or et des Deux Lacs.

Attractions

The Chapel of Sainte- Philomène was built in 1835, while the parish hall ( Mairie ) dates from 1826. In the center and in the vicinity of the village several farmhouses in the traditional style of the Haut-Doubs are obtained.

Population

With 374 inhabitants (1 January 2011 ) is one of Les Hôpitaux -Vieux to the small communities of the department of Doubs. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (1886 322 persons were still counted ), a significant population increase has been recorded since the mid-1970s again.

Economy and infrastructure

Les Hôpitaux -Vieux has long been a predominantly coined by agriculture, especially dairy farming and animal husbandry, 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 do their work in the larger towns in the area and across the border in Switzerland.

Since the 1960s, when the area was expanded to Morond and Mont d' Or is a major winter sports area of the French Jura, also benefited Les Hôpitaux -Vieux by tourism. It is oriented mainly on winter tourism (especially alpine).

The village has good transport links. It lies on the main road N57, which runs from Pontarlier on the Col de Jougne to Vallorbe. The village center is now relieved by a four-lane bypass road from through traffic. Another road connection with Fourgs.