Villers-le-Lac

Villers -le- Lac is a municipality in the French department of Doubs in the Franche -Comté.

Geography

Villers -le- Lac is located at 780 m, 5 km east of Morteau and about 13 km west of the town of La Chaux -de-Fonds (air line). The village is located in the Jura, a slightly elevated position on the sun-exposed slope in the wide valley of the Doubs shortly before its expansion to Lac de Chaillexon (Lac des Brenets ), at the northern foot of the Meixner - Musy, near the border with Switzerland.

The area of ​​30.17 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The central part of the area occupied by the open valley of the Doubs. The broad flat valley floor is at 750 m and is crossed by the river in tortuous course. To the east of Villers -le- Lac, the river to the long but narrow Lac de Chaillexon expands. The valley floor is vermoort and is flooded at high tide, which is why the villages were built in a slightly elevated position.

The Doubs Valley is flanked to the south by the ridge of the Meixner - Musy, at the 1260 meters the highest point of Villers -le- Lac is achieved. The partly wooded, partly lined with pasture ridge is divided by several short erosion valleys. The most significant of these is the Rançonnière which drains the basin of Le Locle and underground springs beneath the Col des Roches. It flows into the Lac de Chaillexon and forms the eastern boundary of the municipality. North of the Doubs, the municipality's area extends over a relatively gently sloping hillside on the broad ridge of Meixner and Meixner -Jacques -Dos d'Ane ( 1088 m). This ridge forms in geological- tectonic respects an anticlinal folds of the Jura and is oriented southwest-northeast direction according to the strike of the mountains in this region.

With a long edge of the municipality is sufficient ground to the northeast, and always parties include the left (northern ) side of the valley of the Doubs. The Lac de Chaillexon the Doubs enters a canyon-like in the Jura plateaus incised, largely uninhabited valley. He is here with the Saut du Doubs a 27 m high waterfall and then reached the Lac de Moron ( also called Lac du Châtelot ). The steep valley sides are traversed by striking Kalkfelsbändern and projections. As a nice vantage point on the Doubs Valley, Mont Châtelard serves (1030 m) in the north- east of the municipality.

At Villers -le- Lac addition to the actual site include various hamlets and numerous individual farms, including:

• Les Bassots (770 m ) south of the Doubs at the beginning of the Lac de Chaillexon
• Les Pargots (760 m) on the south shore of Lac de Chaillexon at the mouth of the Rançonnière
• Chaillexon (802 m) on the hillside north of Lac de Chaillexon
• Curcol (820 m) on the northern slope of the valley of the Doubs
• L' Essart - FOURCAN (880 m) on the northern slope of the valley of the Doubs
• Champagne ( 890 m) on the northern slope of the valley of the Doubs
• La Courpée ( 935 m) on a terrace on the northern side of the valley of the Doubs
• Cernembert ( 958 m) on the northern slope of the valley of the Doubs
• Les Majors ( 922 m) on a terrace on the northern side of the valley of the Doubs
• Le Pissoux ( 862 m) north of Mont Châtelard above the deep Doubs Valley
• Le Prélot (1000 m) on a saddle on the northern slope of the Meixner - Musy
• Le Chauffaud ( 1074 m) on a plateau above the Col des Roches
• Sur la Roche ( 1130 m ) in a trough northeast of the Meixner - Musy

Neighboring communities of Villers -le- Lac are Montlebon and Les Fins in the West, Noël- Cerneux, La Chenalotte and Le Barboux in the north, Grand'Combe -des- Bois in the northeast and the Swiss towns Les Planchettes and Les Brenets in the East as well as Le Locle and Cerneux - Péquignot in the south.

History

The area of Villers -le- Lac was already inhabited in prehistoric times, as could be shown by means of various finds at Rocher Fisher'castle on the shores of Lac de Chaillexon. In the 12th century, the area of Villers -le- Lac by monks of Cluniazenserpriorats Morteau was reclaimed. As a result, the village belonged to the rule Morteau, which initially was under the suzerainty of the Lords of Montfaucon, from 1325 to 1507 under that of the Counts of Neuchâtel and afterwards belonged to the Franche -Comté. Together with the Franche -Comté reached the village with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 to France. Until 1801 the town was called Lac, then Lac- de -Villers, and in 1948 the present name Villers -le- Lac became official.

Around 1840 became the manufacture of watches accessories in homework in Villers -le- Lac importance in the economic life of the population. This was followed in 1880 the actual watch industry. It resulted in several watch factories, which led to a rapid economic upswing of the town. They coined despite various crises throughout the 20th century, the economic orientation of Villers -le- Lac. Beginning of the 20th century had Villers -le- Lac also important as mountain resort, with several sanatoriums were built on the sunny slope above the village.

Attractions

The village church of Villers -le- Lac was built in the 19th century and includes a marble statue of the Virgin Mary from the 17th century. In Les Bassots the chapel Saint -Joseph, which was built in 1685 and has a remarkable interior. Other churches are located in Le Chauffaud (18th century) and in Le Pissoux (17th century). The site of Villers -le- Lac is urban embossed with numerous four -to six- storey cubic houses, which mainly originate from the period 1850 until 1900. Villers -le- Lac is home to two museums, namely the Musée de la Montre ( history of the watch industry ) and the Musée de la Radio. Among the most visited natural attractions in the region include the Saut du Doubs and the Lac de Chaillexon with its partly vertically sloping into the sea cliffs.

Population

With 4445 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Villers -le- Lac is one of the medium-sized municipalities in the department of Doubs. Once the population has consistently had in the first half of the 20th century in the area of ​​2500-3100 people, a significant population increase has been recorded since the early 1950s. With approximately 4500 inhabitants mid-1970s, the provisional maximum level was registered. After a temporary decline due to the crisis in the watch industry in the 70s, a rising trend has been observed in recent years.

Economy and infrastructure

Villers -le- Lac is today an important center of high technology and specialized watch industry. Other important industries include micromechanics, timber processing and mechanical engineering. There are also numerous shops of retail. Thanks to the great community area to agriculture ( livestock and dairy farming, farming ) and forestry still play a certain role. Many living in Villers -le- Lac Employed persons are commuters who engage in the neighboring cities of Switzerland Le Locle and La Chaux -de-Fonds their work.

As a resort in a popular tourist area in the High Jura Villers -le- Lac is now benefiting also from tourism. The community is geared both to the summer tourism ( hiking, water sports, cycling, fishing) as well as on winter tourism ( alpine and Nordic skiing, ice skating).

The village has good transport links. It lies on the main road D 461, which leads from Besancon via Morteau to La Chaux -de-Fonds. Further road links exist with Les Brenets and Le Barboux. Villers -le- Lac has a station on the railway from Besancon to Le Locle.