Valdahon

Valdahon is a commune in the French department Doubs in the Franche -Comté. Valdahon is a regional center in the French Jura, is the administrative seat of the Communauté de communes du Pays de Pierre Fontaine - Vercel and site community of 3500 acres of training area Camp du Valdahon.

Geography

Valdahon Located at 650 meters above sea level, about 26 km east-southeast of the city of Besançon ( straight line ). The village is located in the Jura, in the midst of the vast plateau of Valdahon, called the first plateau of the Jura Mountains, north of the first higher Jura chains ( Cicon and Cret Monniot ).

The area of ​​25.51 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The entire area is occupied by only weakly in relief plateau Valdahon, which is an average of 630 m. It is predominantly of arable and meadow land, partly also passed by forest and rises to the southeast gradually. With the exception of some short rivulets ( including the Dahon reaching the village from the south ) has the plateau no surface watercourses, because the rainwater seeps into the karst underground. To the east of the municipality of soil dates back to the Grand Bois Forest et Viard. With 736 m is reached on a knoll at Étray the highest elevation of Valdahon.

The slightly undulating northern part of the municipality ( with 15.5 sq km about 60 % of the whole community area ) is part of the military training area Valdahon, which occupies an area of ​​35 km ² in total. The municipal area extends over the Plateau du haricot up to the troughs Combe de Jeuve ( in the west) and Combe de l' Epinay ( in the north).

The municipality consists of two Valdahon now virtually completely coalesced parts:

• Le Valdahon -du -Bas ( 638 m)
• Le Valdahon -du -Haut ( 655 m)

Neighboring communities of Valdahon are Vercel - Villedieu -le-Camp to the north, Chevigney- lès -Vercel in the east, and Épenoy Étray in the south and Fallerans and Verrières -du Gros - Bois in the West.

History

Is first documented in the 12th century Valdahon. It belonged since the Middle Ages to the rule Cicon. During the Thirty Years' War Valdahon was sacked and burned in 1639 by troops of Duke Bernhard of Saxe- Weimar. Together with the Franche -Comté reached the village with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 to France. A disastrous fire destroyed numerous houses on November 11, 1844. With the inauguration of the line Besançon - Morteau in 1884 Valdahon was connected to the French railroad network. The military training area Valdahon was established in 1907 and later expanded, with the former settlement Villedieu -le-Camp had to be abandoned. On August 27, 1944, eight people ( five men and three women) were murdered by militiamen in Valdahon.

Since 1998 Valdahon administrative seat of the 44- villages municipal association Communauté de communes du Pays de Pierre Fontaine - Vercel. On 1 January 2009, the district membership of the community has changed. So far, belonging to the district Besançon, all municipalities in the canton came to the district Pontarlier.

Attractions

The village church of Valdahon was built in the 18th century. Another church is located in the district of Le Valdahon -du -Bas. In the old town some farm houses are still preserved in the characteristic style of the Franche -Comté from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Population

With 5238 inhabitants ( 1 January 2011) Valdahon belongs to the medium-sized municipalities in the department of Doubs. After the population had always oscillated during the 19th century in the range between 800 and 1000 people, a striking population growth was recorded in the first decades of the 20th century, especially due to the establishment of the military camp. From 1930 to the mid-1950s, however, a decline of almost 60 % was recorded again. Since then continuously increases, the population, wherein an increased growth was observed in the last years.

Economy and infrastructure

Valdahon has long been a predominantly by agriculture (crops, orchards and livestock ) embossed village. In the 19th century, the watch industry had a certain importance, and since the beginning of the 20th century benefited Valdahon of the presence of the training area.

Today Valdahon is a regional center with well- developed infrastructure and therefore is central functions for the agricultural hinterland. Since the 1970s, commercial and industrial zones were created on the outskirts, which offer more than 60 companies place today. In Valdahon many different industries are represented: micromechanics, watches supply industry, a slaughterhouse ( for pigs ), woodworking, toy manufacturing, construction and transport industry. More jobs there are in the tertiary sector, in many retail stores, hospitality, administration as well as in banking and insurance. Valdahon is the administrative seat of the municipal association Communauté de communes du pays de Pierre Fontaine- Vercel.

Furthermore it is Valdahon location of the Collège. It has a public library and various sports facilities and a swimming pool.

The village has good transport links. It lies on the main road that leads from Besancon via Morteau to La Chaux -de-Fonds in Switzerland. Further road links exist with Pontarlier, Vercel - Villedieu -le-Camp, Épenoy and Étray. Valdahon has a station on the railway from Besancon to Le Locle. In the training area, there is a military airfield.

Partnerships

Valdahon maintains a partnership with Maulbronn in the German state of Baden- Württemberg.