Bellefontaine (Jura)

Belle Fontaine is a town in the French department of Jura in the Franche -Comté.

Geography

Bellefontaine is located at 1,036 m above sea level. M., five kilometers north-east of Morez and about 40 km north of the city of Geneva (air line). The village is located in the Jura, in the upper part of the valley of the Evalude, between the forest heights of Les Chaumelles in the northwest and the Risoux in the southeast, near the border with Switzerland.

The area of ​​24.71 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The landscape is characterized by parallel ridges and terrain longitudinal troughs, which are oriented in the southwest-northeast, according to the strike of the Jura Mountains in the area. The central part of the municipal area is occupied by the valley of the Evalude, which drains the area to the southwest of Bienne. The relatively quickly to Klustal of Morez sloping valley is a syncline of the Jura Mountains dar. It is accompanied on both sides by steep slopes, crowned at the top of rock bands. In the north, the Roches des Trois Commères are ( 1083 m above sea level. M. ) and Les Chaumelles ( 1151 m above sea level. M. ), in the south the Entreroches ( 1171 m above sea level. M. ).

To the southeast, the municipality's area extends into the densely wooded, rough area of the Forêt du Risoux with parallel ridges and intervening terrain, above ground undrained depressions. The highest points of the form here Cret à la Dame ( 1311 m above sea level. M. ) and the Roche Bernard ( 1290 m above sea level. M. ). In the north- east of the village soil ranges on the plateau at the foot of Risoux, the average at 1100 m above sea level. M. lies. The vegetation shows a loose structure of forest and pasture land. Even the bog lake Lac de Bellefontaine and part of the Lac des Mortes belong to the community. The area of Bellefontaine is part of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut- Jura.

At Bellefontaine addition to the actual site also includes several hamlets, groups of farms and individual farms, including:

  • En Chapeau (960 m above sea level. M. ) on the Evalude
  • Les Mortes ( 1095 m above sea level. M. ) on the plateau near the Lac des Mortes

Neighboring communities of Belle Fontaine Chapelle -des- Bois in the northeast, Bois- d'Amont the southeast, Les Rousses and Morez in the south and Morbier in the west and north.

History

Since the Middle Ages Bellefontaine belonged to the priory and the rule of La Mouille. The place name ( translated into German beautiful fountain, beautiful source) dates from the time of the plague, as had to get on the high plateau of clean water, the inhabitants of Morbier and Morez. Together with the Franche -Comté reached Bellefontaine with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 to France.

Attractions

The village church of Bellefontaine took its present shape in the new construction in the 18th century.

Population

With 547 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Belle Fontaine is one of the small towns in the Jura. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (1886 542 persons were still counted ), a significant population increase has been recorded since the early 1970s again.

Economy and infrastructure

Bellefontaine has long been a predominantly coined by agriculture, especially livestock and dairy farming, as well as by the forestry village. In addition, there are now several companies of small and medium enterprises. Besides the traditional branches of watch making, wood crafts and cheese production today are mechanical workshops and a company that makes signs, represented in the village.

As a resort in a popular tourist area in the High Jura Bellefontaine now benefiting also from tourism, especially on winter tourism if it can be operated on the high plateau skiing. The slopes southeast of the village are accessible by two lifts for alpine skiing. Bellefontaine has a hotel, a holiday village and separate apartments.

The village is located off the major thoroughfares on a secondary road that leads to La Chaux -Neuve from Morez. Another road connection with Bois- d'Amont.

Bellefontaine | Bois- d'Amont | Lézat | Longchaumois | Morbier | Morez | La Mouille | Prémanon | Les Rousses

  • Commune in the department of Jura
  • Place in Franche -Comté
113765
de