Lepuix
Lepuix ( unofficially Lepuix - Gy called to distinguish it from Lepuix -Neuf; German sooner or soda Sood ) is a town in the French department of Territoire de Belfort in the Franche -Comté.
Geography
Lepuix is located on 509 m above the sea, two kilometers north of Giromagny and about 14 kilometers north of the town of Belfort ( a straight line ). The village is located in the southern Vosges, in a valley widening at the headwaters of the Savoureuse and at the mouth of Beusinière, in the expiring south chains of the Ballon d'Alsace. It is also part of the Regional Natural Park of Ballons des Vosges.
The area of 29.69 km ² municipal area includes a portion in the region of the Southern Vosges. The central part of the area is traversed in a north-south direction from the valley of the Savoureuse. The flat valley floor has a width of approximately one kilometer, is on average 510 m and is used predominantly agricultural outside the settlement area. In the south, the border on the outskirts of Giromagny where the Savoureuse also occurs in the basin of Giromagny on Vogesenfuß.
The community area includes the entire upper catchment area of the Savoureuse. She is strong in relief and the predominantly forested, mostly steep slopes are broken by numerous Seitentälchen and gullies. The largest creek on the municipal area is the Beusinière which opens at Lepuix in the Savoureuse. The Savoureuse as well as their tributaries overcome the differences in height with various waterfalls, including the Cascade du Rummel, the Saut de la Cuvotte and the Saut de la Truite. The surrounding hills are traversed at different locations of rocks, where as those of the most striking Roches du Cerf emerge in the gorge of Malvaux.
Flanked the valley on both sides of the south -flung mountain ranges of the Ballon d' Alsace. In the West the heights of Planche des Belles Filles ( 1148 m), balloon Saint- Antoine ( 1124 m), Tête de Demesy ( 1132 m) and Tête des Fougères disconnect ( 1115 m ), the valleys of Savoureuse and Rahin. In the east the border is on the heights of Mont Jean ( 786 m), Mont Rouchon ( 976 m) and Tremontkopf ( 1,089 m ), which form the watershed to the catchment areas of Rosemontoise and Doller. In the north, the municipality's area covers the broad, treeless crest of the Ballon d'Alsace, in the 1244 m, the highest elevation of Lepuix is achieved.
To Lepuix addition to the actual village includes several hamlets and numerous farmsteads, including:
- Chauveroche (520 m) in the valley on the western edge of the Beusinière
- Malvaux (535 m) in the valley of Savoureuse below the gorge of Malvaux
- Les Sapins (1120 m ) on the southern flank of the Ballon d' Alsace
Neighboring communities of Lepuix are Saint-Maurice- sur -Moselle in the north, Sewen, Riervescemont and Vescemont in the east, Giromagny and Auxelles- skin in the south and Plancher -les -Mines in the West.
History
Is first mentioned Lepuix in 1347. Initially standing in the sphere of influence of the Counts of Montbéliard, the village mid-14th century came under the suzerainty of the Habsburg dynasty. It belonged to the reign Rosemont. Together with the Sundgau Lepuix came with the 1648 Peace of Westphalia to the French crown. Since 1793 it 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.
Since the Middle Ages the numerous around Lepuix deposits of lead, copper and silver were mined and processed, for which on the one hand, the water power of the Savoureuse, on the other hand wood was needed from the great forests for the production of charcoal. Very early Lepuix therefore developed to one characterized by the mining and industrial community. During the 19th century, took the place of mining new industries such as wood processing, paper making and weaving. Today Lepuix is a member of the comprehensive eight municipalities municipal association Communauté de communes la Haute Savoureuse.
Attractions
The Church of the Nativity of Mary ( Église Notre- Dame de la Nativity ) was built in the 18th century and modified in the 19th century. It has a rich interior, including wood and plaster statues from the 17th century. The natural landscape with waterfalls, ponds and rock as well as the viewpoint Ballon d' Alsace ( Parc Naturel Régional Ballons des Vosges ) are among the recreational areas of the region.
Population
With 1127 inhabitants ( 1 January 2011) Lepuix one of the smaller communities of the department of Territoire de Belfort. His previous high with respect to the number of inhabitants reached Lepuix the mid- 60s of the 19th century, when just over 2,000 people were counted. Even in 1906 Lepuix inhabitants in 1995; after a marked decline in population was recorded until 1982 by almost 50 %. Since then, a slightly increasing trend was observed again.
Economy and infrastructure
Lepuix was early on a mainly coined by commercial and industrial village. Today there are various companies of small and medium enterprises. Among the major sectors of activity are textile industry, timber processing and precision engineering. Furthermore, many businesses of retail for daily needs are available in Lepuix. Meanwhile, the village has also changed into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who do their work in the agglomeration Belfort.
The village has good transport links. It is located on a secondary road D465 which leads from Belfort via Giromagny to Saint -Maurice- sur -Moselle. The nearest links to the A36 motorway is located at a distance of about 16 kilometers. Another regional road connection over the Col de Sewen with Masevaux.