Morez

Morez is a commune in the French department of Jura in the Franche -Comté. It is the capital of the canton in the arrondissement of Saint -Claude Morez. The municipality, together with the communities Morbier, Longchaumois and Lézat the Communauté de communes community association du Haut Jura.

Located in a narrow transverse valley in the High Jura near the Swiss border town is a center of the optical industry and one of the starting points for the exploration of the Regional Natural Park of Haut -Jura. Previously Morez was a center of the watch industry ( Morbier clock).

Geography

Morez is located at 702 m above sea level. M., about 20 km northeast of the town of Saint -Claude, 40 km north of Geneva (air line). The small town is located in the High Jura, in a deep transverse valley in the Jura mountain chains, on both sides of the upper course of Bienne, between the heights of the Bois de Bevet in the west and in the east Risoux.

The area of ​​9.67 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The central part is occupied by the Klustal of Morez that follows one of the major transform faults in the Jura. This transverse valley is traversed from south to north of the Bienne that receives below the town center from the right Evalude and then draws a sharp bow and flows through a deep valley to the southwest. In the area of the flat valley floor of the Morez has Bienne to a maximum width of 250 m.

The transverse valley of Morez is flanked on both sides by steep slopes with protruding rock outcrops. On the west side of the valley of the Roche au Dade, Roche Fendue and the Rocher du Béchet surmounted, one of which offers a beautiful view of Morez. The communal land extends to the adjacent forested plateau of the Bois de Bevet ( up to 1050 m above sea level. M. ). The northern boundary runs along the Bienne and the slope below Morbier, while the southern boundary in the narrow valley at the Pont of Customs is below the Rocher du Béchet.

To the east, the municipality's area of the Roche extends brulee ( 1,043 m above sea level. M. Another viewpoint on the community) on the anticline Risoux. This high area with above ground endorheic valleys and intervening ridges terrain is densely forested. In the far northeast of the municipality spell is on the Cret à la Lady with 1311 m above sea level. M. reached the highest elevation of Morez. The area of Morez is part of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut- Jura.

To Morez addition to the actual village also includes various settlements and isolated farms, including:

• Bas de Morez ( 691 m above sea level. M. ) at the mouth of Evalude in the Bienne
• Villedieu ( 745 m above sea level. M. ) on the eastern flank of the Bienne
• Sur Les Puits (815 m above sea level. M. ) on a ridge on the eastern side of the valley

Neighboring communities of Morez are Morbier and Bellefontaine in the north, Les Rousses, in the east, Longchaumois in the south and La Mouille in the West.

History

The settlement of the valley of present-day Morez only started very late. The beginnings go back to the early 16th century, when it began at that time to take advantage of the water power of Bienne in Combe Noire called transverse valley to power mills. A pioneer with respect to the use of water power was Etienne Morel, 1563, the first industries introduced, namely, saw mills and forges. At the same time a workers' settlement, which initially was called Combe- à - Morel was born. Later the name changed over Morel -sous- Morbier and Morey today Morez. During the 16th and 17th century Morez further developed for industrial development. A new industry has established itself as 1660 with the introduction of the watch industry.

In territorial terms Morez belonged to La Mouille, which was in turn placed under the rule of the Abbey of Saint -Claude. In 1776 Morez was separated from La Mouille and collected as a separate parish

Located on a major traffic route from the Geneva region through the Jura Dole and Dijon, Morez also benefited from the trade. In the course of the 18th century, the industry diversified further by the tannery, wire drawing and linen weaving were added to the traditional industries. In 1800 the production of eyeglasses and eyeglass frames was introduced, which became the most important industry of Morez during the 19th century. The first half of the 19th century is characterized by the industrialization and mechanization of production. This was accompanied by a marked increase in population.

As a result Morez became an important training center for local industries: 1855 École d' Horlogerie which was founded. From 1895 opened vocational school, which in 1911 became the Section optics and eyewear affiliated, the 1928 inaugurated École nationale d' Optique et de developed Lunetterie.

Already in 1845, efforts were made to connect Morez to the French railway network. However, the difficult topography made ​​it impossible for a rapid implementation. From 1890 to 1900, the railway line was extended after Champagnole Morez what numerous viaducts and tunnels had to be built. The continuation through the valley of Bienne to Saint -Claude was inaugurated in 1912. With the completion of the meter-gauge railway line of the Chemin de fer Nyon -Saint- Cergue- Morez on 7 March 1921, the church also received a rail connection to Nyon in Switzerland. The train, like a tram wrong from the SNCF train station right through the center of Morez, served next to the passenger transport and the transport of goods (especially for wood from the high Jura). The operation on the French section of the line was discontinued in 1958.

Population

With 5068 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Morez one of the larger towns in the Jura. Strong growth rates exhibited Morez at the time of his industrialization in the first half of the 19th century. Thereafter, the population has remained relatively stable over time. After 1911, a decrease of about 20 % was recorded due to the two world wars and the Great Depression until 1946. A renewed growth spurt followed in the period from about 1950 to 1970 before once again entered a period of stagnation. The previous high was reached at the end of the 1980s, with about 7000 inhabitants. Due to company closures and job losses, took the inhabitants of Morez since 1990 by about 23%.

The settlement area of Morez extends over a length of almost 3 km along the river course of Bienne. Also, the adjacent slopes are increasingly overbuilt. However, the limited space in Klustal limit the possibilities for expansion, a strong.

Economy

Morez is today an important industrial city in the Haut-Jura. By far the major industry is the optical industry. Many companies specialize in the manufacture of spectacle frames, which Morez is considered the center of the metal frames and Oyonnax as the center of the plastic versions. The production is distributed to three-quarters of normal and jewelry eyeglasses and a quarter on sunglasses and goggles. Other important industries include manufacturing of watches accessories, metalworking, woodworking and precision mechanics.

Tourism

As one of the centers of the Regional Natural Park of Haut -Jura benefited Morez, from tourism and is home to several hotels. The small town is the starting point both for summer and for winter recreation in the High Jura. The winter sport is focused on alpine skiing, cross country skiing and snowshoeing, during recreational activities such as hiking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, horseback riding and hunting are the summer months in the foreground.

Traffic

The city is easily accessible via. It lies on the main road N5, which runs from Geneva via the Col de la Faucille after Champagnole and Dole. Other regional road links exist with Saint- Claude and Mouthe.

Morez has a bag station on the railway line, which serves the route from Saint- Claude to Champagnole. About Saint -Claude and Bourg -en- Bresse, the cities of Lyon and Paris continue to be achieved, over Champagnole there continuous connections to Dole and Besançon. The route is traversed by the railway company TER Franche -Comté, a subsidiary of SNCF.

Attractions

The old church was built of Morez from 1724 and 1738 a parish church (formerly the place belonged ecclesiastically to Longchaumois ). From 1822 to 1827, the new twin-towered church was built with a monumental portal and an organ of 1842 at the main square. Furthermore, there is also a Protestant church. On the main square, the monumental Hôtel de Ville form (town hall, built in 1890 ) and the neighboring houses a remarkable ensemble. Other groups of houses of Morez date from the time of Art Nouveau and from the late 18th century. The Musée de la Lunette (part of the Centre Viseum ), which was newly opened in 2003, the history of eyewear industry of Morez is shown.

Education

In Morez all stages of compulsory education can be visited. Morez is the location of the Lycée Polyvalent Victor Bérard, a renowned technical vocational school that specializes in micro- technology, optics and eyewear industry.

Partnerships

Morez has since 1987 been twinned with the town of Achern in Baden-Württemberg.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Victor Bérard (1864-1931), French politician, historian and classical scholar
• Alain Buffard (1960-2013), French dancer and choreographer