Botans

Botans is a town in the French department of Territoire de Belfort in the Franche -Comté.

Geography

Botans is located on 355 m above sea level, about five kilometers south of the town of Belfort ( a straight line ). The village is located in the Burgundy gate, in a trough west of the Valley of Savoureuse and its river side Douce, on the eastern edge of the hills of Grand Bois.

The area of ​​2.29 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the gently undulating countryside in the Burgundian Gate ( trouée de Belfort ). The eastern border is in the midst of about a kilometer wide valley of Savoureuse, which provides for the drainage south to Allan. Parallel to Savoureuse flows Douce, which opens north of Botans in the valley. In the valley there is also the waterway of the Canal de la Haute -Saône, a side branch of the Rhine- Rhone Canal. Several former sand and gravel pits on the valley floor have now been flooded. In the north, the boundary runs along the Douce.

From the valley floor, which is on average 340 m, the community area extends westward into the trough of Botans and on the adjacent hills. These are partly passed with forest, some with arable and meadow land. In the north- west is the height Le Fays ( 393 m) and in the southwest Les Cerisiers, on the 397 meters, the highest elevation of Botans is achieved.

Neighboring communities of Botans are Andelnans in the north, Sevenans in the east, Doran in the southwest and Argiésans in the northwest.

History

Is first mentioned Botans in 1347. Initially standing in the sphere of influence of the Lords of Montbeliard, Botans reached the mid 14th century under the suzerainty of the Habsburg dynasty. Together with the Sundgau came the village with the 1648 Peace of Westphalia to the French crown. Since 1793 Botans belonged to the Department of Haut -Rhin, however, remained in 1871 as part of the Territoire de Belfort as opposed to the rest of Alsace in France. The municipal area of Botans a port was established in 1926 on the Canal de la Haute -Saône, which served as a coal trading center for the city of Belfort. 1973, the port was shut down, however. Since 2000 Botans is part of the municipal association Communauté d' Agglomà Belfortaine.

Attractions

The village is characterized by various houses in the characteristic style of the Franche -Comté from the 18th and 19th centuries. In an old farm is the Agricultural Museum ( Musée Agricole ), which was opened in 1988 and agricultural machinery and tools shows.

Population

With 289 inhabitants ( 1 January 2011) Botans one of the small communities of the department of Territoire de Belfort. Once the population has consistently had in the first half of the 20th century in the range between 100 and 160 people, a significant population growth has been recorded since the early 1970s.

Economy and infrastructure

Botans was until well into the 20th century a predominantly by agriculture (crops, orchards and livestock ) embossed village. In the valley in the area of the canal harbor developed in the course of time, a commercial and industrial zone. Here, various companies in the transport industry, food processing, a tool factory and shops have settled. Meanwhile, the village has also changed into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who do their work in urban Belfort and Montbéliard.

The village has good transport links. It is located near the main road that leads from Belfort to Montbeliard. The nearest links to the A36 motorway, which runs through the municipality, is located at a distance of about two kilometers. Further road links exist with Héricourt, Doran and Andelnans. With the city of Belfort Botans is connected by a bus.