Pierrefontaine-les-Varans

Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans is a commune in the French department Doubs in the Franche -Comté and the capital of Canton Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans in the arrondissement of Pontarlier.

Geography

Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans is located on 690 m above sea level, 38 km south-west of Montbéliard and about 40 km east of the city of Besançon (air line). The village is located in the Jura, in the midst of the broad plateaux of Pierre Fontaine, north from the deep valley of the Reverotte.

The area of ​​28.90 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The main part of the territory occupied by the weakly in relief plateau by Pierre Fontaine, which is on average 700 m. It has a width of about 4 km and a length of more than 10 km and is mainly consisted of arable and meadow land, but also shows smaller forest areas and - particularly in the northern part - boggy areas. The plateau has no above-ground rivers, because the rainwater seeps into the karst underground.

South of the village the valley of the Ruisseau du Val begins in a striking rock basin. The stream originates at a karst spring and flows into the Reverotte short time later. This forms the southern boundary of the municipality. It runs in a deep gorge-like and partly narrowed erosion valley ( Défilé the epais Rochers ) east to Dessoubre. The eastern boundary of the plateau is marked by the ridge of the Belmont. Here the highest elevation of Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans is achieved with 946 m.

To Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans addition to the actual place includes various hamlets and numerous individual farms, including:

• La Faye (700 m) on the plateau of Pierre Fontaine
• Granges au Roi ( 725 m) at the eastern edge of the plateau by Pierre Fontaine

Neighboring communities of Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans are Laviron in the north, Belleherbe, Chamesey and Bretonvillers in the east, Plaimbois -Vennes in the south and La Sommette and Germéfontaine in the West.

History

Pierre Fontaine was probably founded in the late 11th or beginning of the 12th century by monks of the monastery Vaucluse. Mentioned in a document of the place is in 1339th In the course of time the spelling on Pierrefotenne ( 1390 ), Pierre Fontaine -en- Varest (1424 ), Pierre Fontaine -en- Varais ( 1626 ) and Pierre Fontaine- lez- Vautrans changed ( 1754) to Pierre Fontaine. In the Middle Ages the village belonged to the first rule of Montfaucon and since the early 15th century to the reign Montbéliard, but also had other men land on the territory.

During the Thirty Years' War Pierre Fontaine in 1639 devastated and plundered by Swedish troops. Only in the course of the century, the high plateau of immigrants from Savoy, the Swiss cantons of Fribourg and Neuchâtel and from the Val du Saugeais was settled again. Together with the Franche -Comté came Pierre Fontaine in 1678 with the Peace of Nijmegen definitely to France. To avoid confusion with other towns of the same name, Pierre Fontaine was officially renamed in 1962 in Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans. Since 1998 Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans is a member of the 44- villages municipal association Communauté de communes du Pays de Pierre Fontaine - Vercel.

On 1 January 2009 there was a change in the membership of the district municipality. So far, belonging to the district Besançon, all municipalities in the canton came to the district Pontarlier.

Population

With 1417 inhabitants ( 1 January 2011) Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans one of the smaller communities of the department of Doubs. Once the population has consistently had in the first half of the 20th century in the area of ​​950-1050 people, until the mid- 1980s, a substantial population increase was recorded. Since then, the population has declined again.

Economy and infrastructure

Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans until the 20th century, a predominantly by agriculture ( livestock, dairy farming and agriculture ) embossed village. In the second half of the 20th century, various companies settled in Pierre Fontaine down, and the village grew into a regional retail center. Today in Pierre Fontaine- les- Varans various enterprises of the timber processing, mechanical, electronic and electromechanical industry, mechanical engineering, watches accessories industry ( décolletage ) and cheese factories are located.

The town is a regional road junction. Compounds consist of Baume- les -Dames, Sancey -le- Grand, Belleherbe, Morteau, Avoudrey and Domprel.

Attractions

• The three-nave church of Notre -Dame de l' Assomption de la Vierge was newly built in 1755-1787 on the site of a medieval church.
• Dating from the 16th century Château de Sagey was later converted into a mansion and now houses the municipal library.
• In the village of various farmhouses dating from the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved in the characteristic style of the Franche -Comté.
• Among the natural attractions include the valley of the Ruisseau du Val with its waterfall and the narrow valley of the Reverotte.

Personalities

• Jules Vuillemin (1920-2001), French philosopher and logician