Bellignat
Bellignat is a commune in the French department of Ain, in the Rhône -Alpes.
Geography
Bellignat is located on 522 m above sea level. M., about three kilometers southwest of the city Oyonnax (air line). The village is located in the northern Bugey, wide Talniederung the In the Jura, between the heights of the Forêt de Châtelard the west and the Forêt Noire in the east.
The area of 7.84 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the southern French Jura. The central part is occupied by the valley of Ange, which has here a width of about 1.5 km and forms a syncline the Jura folds. The basin is drained to the south to Oignin. To the west of the municipality of soil ranges on the crest of the Châtelard ( 725 m above sea level. M. ). East of the valley floor, the municipality's area covers over a densely wooded hillside ( Forêt Noire ) on the anticline of Mont Jora. On the skin Cret, the steeply with a rock wall on the east to a Quelltal of Ange, is 983 m above sea level. M. reached the highest elevation of Bellignat.
Neighboring communities of Bellignat are Oyonnax in the northeast, Apremont in the southeast, southwest, and Géovreisset Groissiat in the northwest.
History
The discovery of a Bronze Age tumulus suggests a very early settlement of the municipality of Bellignat. In the 12th century the village formed its own little rule. The sovereignty over the territory in 1402 went to the Counts of Savoy over. The Treaty of Lyon Bellignat arrived in 1601 to France. Since the second half of the 19th century Bellignat learned along with the other communities of the valley of Oyonnax an economic boom by introducing the industry ( silk industry, comb fabrication and later plastic processing).
Attractions
The village church dates originally from the 11th century, but was later changed several times; it has a Gothic choir.
Population
With 3590 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Bellignat belongs to the medium-sized municipalities in the department of Ain. Since the late 1960s, a striking increase in population was recorded. During this period, the population of the village has quadrupled. Meanwhile, the settlement area of Bellignat is almost completely conjoined with that of Oyonnax.
Economy and infrastructure
Bellignat has long been a predominantly coined by agriculture and forestry village. Thanks to the nearby Oyonnax settled since the first half of the 20th century in Bellignat various operations down. Today there are in the valley between Bellignat and Oyonnax and south of the old town center two large commercial and industrial zones with a total of more than 60 companies. Among the important industries include plastic fabrication and precision engineering industries. Bellignat is the location of the Lycée Arbez Carme, a university for the plastics industry with a scientific and technological center for plastics and accessories.
The village region has a very well developed. It is located near the main road that leads from Montréal- la- Cluse via Oyonnax to Saint -Claude. Further road links exist with Izernore and Thoirette. The nearest links to the motorway A404 ( Saint -Martin- du- Frêne - Oyonnax ), which crosses the municipality, is located at a distance of about 1 km. Bellignat has a station on the railway line from Bourg -en- Bresse to Oyonnax.