La Pesse

La Pesse is a commune in the French department of Jura in the Franche -Comté.

Geography

La Pesse is located to 1160 m above sea level. M., and thus one of the highest towns in the Jura Mountains, about eleven kilometers south of the town of Saint- Claude ( a straight line ). The farming village extends high Jura, in a depression on the plateau of the Hautes- Combes north of the Cret de Chalam in the headwaters of the Semine.

The area of ​​24.26 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The area is almost exclusively on the plateau of the Hautes- Combes (on average at 1200 m above sea level. M. ). The landscape is undulating and shows natural features such as ridges and troughs oriented southwest-northeast direction according to the strike of the Jura Mountains in the area. The hollows have no surface drainage, as the rain water seeps into the porous limestone substrate. In places that are sealed by clay minerals, there are bogs and small marsh pond. The only above-ground river is the Semine which rises near La Pesse and then flows into a Talfurche to the southwest.

To the west of the municipality floor extends to the top edge of the deep valley of the Tacon (Les couloirs, 1240 m above sea level. M. ). In the east, the municipality area extends over a number of parallel and gradually increasing to high ground ribs up to the ridge that runs from the Cret de Chalam to the northeast and forms the boundary to the Valley of Valserine. On the Cret au Merle is 1440 m above sea level. M. reached the highest peak of La Pesse. The plateau of the Hautes- Combes shows a loose structure of pasture and forest. The area of La Pesse is part of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut- Jura.

At La Pesse addition to the actual site also includes several hamlets and farm groups, including:

• L' Embossieux ( 1170 m above sea level. M. ) on the plateau of the Hautes- Combes
• L' Embouteilleux (1120 m above sea level. M. ) in a valley on the Hautes- Combes

Neighboring communities of La Pesse are Coiserette and Les Moussières in the north, and Bellecombe Chézery -Forens in the east, and Champfromier Belleydoux in the south and Les Bouchoux in the West.

History

The place name is from the old French word Pesse pesse in the meaning of red spruce (Picea abies ) is derived and is still used today in patois. Together with the Franche -Comté reached the village with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 to France. It was not until 1832, the town of Les Bouchoux was separated and collected into an independent municipality, which at that time still bore the name of Hautes- Molunes. 1907, the community was renamed La Pesse.

Attractions

The Village Church of La Pesse was built in the 19th century. In the museum of local history the life and craft activity is shown on the Hautes- Combes.

Population

With 348 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) La Pesse one of the small towns in the Jura. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (1886 840 persons were still counted ), a significant population increase has been recorded since the mid-1970s again.

Economy and infrastructure

La Pesse was until well into the 20th century a predominantly coined by agriculture, especially livestock and dairy farming, as well as by the forestry village. In addition, there are today some of the local small business enterprises. Many workers are also commuters who engage in the larger towns in the vicinity of their work.

As a resort in a popular tourist area in the High Jura La Pesse now benefiting also from tourism, especially on winter tourism, when cross-country skiing can be operated on the plateau of the Hautes- Combes. On a hillside at L' Embossieux in winter is a ski lift in operation.

The village is located off the major thoroughfares on a secondary road, leading from Septmoncel after Belleydoux. Further road links exist with Les Bouchoux and Champfromier.