Berche

Berche is a commune in the French department Doubs in the Franche -Comté.

Geography

Berche is located on 308 m, about 6 km southwest of the town of Montbéliard (air line). The village is located on the southern edge of the valley of the Doubs opposite Bavans, on the northern edge of the outermost ridges of the Jura.

The area of ​​3.11 km ² municipal area comprises a portion of Doubstals. The northern boundary runs along the Doubs, the multi-turn in about 1.5 kilometers wide flat Talniederung here flows to the west and is accompanied by the waterways of the Rhine- Rhone Canal. From the river, the municipality's area extends southward over the flood plain on the terrace of Berche, consisting of glacial river deposits. To the south runs a road range of about 80 to 100 m height to the adjacent panel Jura plateau high above. The amount of Dampierre is partly covered by arable and meadow land, but also shows some of larger areas of forest ( Bois de Dampierre ). Here the highest elevation of Berche is achieved with 448 m. In the far south, the area extends into the valley system Les Combes.

Neighboring communities of Berche are Bavans in the north, Voujeaucourt in the east, the south and Mathay Dampierre -sur -le- Doubs in the West.

History

Is first documented in the year Berche 1181st The name dates back to the late Latin word barca, indicating a ferry to cross the Doubs. In the Middle Ages Berche belonged to the rule Dampierre, which was under the suzerainty of the Lords of Neuchâtel since the 14th century. Together with the Franche -Comté reached the village with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 to France. Today, Berche part of the community association Communauté de communes des Trois Cantons.

Attractions

The attractions of Berche include Lavoir (1858 ) and the 1898 built small chapel. Berche belongs to the parish of Dampierre -sur -le- Doubs.

Population

With 465 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Berche one of the small communities of the department of Doubs. Once the population has consistently had in the first half of the 20th century in the area between 90 and 120 people, a significant population growth was recorded from 1960 to 1990. Then one but again a slight decline of around 10% was registered.

Economy and infrastructure

Berche until the 20th century, a predominantly by agriculture (crops, orchards and livestock ) embossed village. In addition, there are now several companies of local small businesses. Meanwhile, the village has also changed into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who do their work in the agglomeration Montbéliard.

The village has good transport links. It is located on a secondary road that leads from Colombier- Fontaine after Voujeaucourt. The nearest links to the A36 motorway is located at a distance of about 5 km.