Mouthe

Mouthe is a commune in the French department Doubs in the Franche -Comté. It is the capital of the canton in the Arrondissement Mouthe Pontarlier. The municipality belongs to the municipality of Communauté de communes des Hauts Association du Doubs.

Geography

Mouthe is on 933 m above sea level, about 25 km southwest of the town of Pontarlier (air line). The village is located in the Jura, in the longitudinal recess of the Val de Mouthe both sides of the Doubs, near its source on the northern side of the valley, between the heights of the Haute Joux in the northwest and the Risoux in the southeast, near the border with Switzerland.

The area of ​​38.73 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The landscape is characterized by parallel ridges and terrain longitudinal troughs are oriented according to the strike of the Jura Mountains in this region in the southwest-northeast. The central part of the area occupied by the approximately 1.5 km wide longitudinal trough of the Val de Mouthe forming a syncline in geological- tectonic terms. Southeast of Mouthe, at the foot of Risoux anticline, springs from the Doubs at a karst spring and initially flows westward to include the Cébriot at Mouthe which drains the south-west section of Val de Mouthe. The wide basin has protected bogs. At the village of Doubs changes its flow direction to the northeast and ensures the drainage of the lower part of the Val de Mouthe.

To the north- west of the municipality extends to the forest floor heights of Les Esseux ( 1071 m) and Bois de Pila ( 1081 m ), which belong to the system of Haute Joux. On its southeast side of the Val de Mouthe of the wooded height of the Forêt du Mont Noir ( 1220 m) is flanked. This level leads into the hilly terrain of the Risoux, which is also mostly covered by forest, but also has several clearings with pasture. There are no surface watercourses, because the rainwater seeps into the karst underground and thus feeds the Doubsquelle. With 1419 m is reached on the Gros Cret, the highest peak of the Risoux, also the highest elevation of Mouthe.

To Mouthe include numerous farmsteads in the area of ​​Risoux. Neighboring communities of Mouthe are Chaux -Neuve in the south, Petite- Chaux and Reculfoz in the West, Les Pontets and Rondefontaine in the north, Sarrageois the east, and the Swiss towns Le Lieu and Le Chenit in the southeast.

Climate

Climate of Mouthe is rough as in the other parts of the high Jura with cold winters and relatively cool summers. Mouthe itself is considered the coldest village in France, because in winter often forms a pool of cold air in a closed basin and temperatures of -30 ° C are not uncommon. With -41.0 ° C, the lowest temperature ever recorded in France was registered on 17 January 1985 in Mouthe. The village is therefore also (the small Siberia) called La petite Sibérie.

History

The origin of Mouthe goes back to 1077 when Simon of Crépy, Count of Valois, settled here and founded a hermitage. In the 12th century, the hermitage was converted into a priory, which was subordinate to the Abbey of Saint -Claude. The monks reclaimed the area under cultivation and laid the foundations for the colonization. The place name derives from the old French word mothe ( Hill, often a fortified hill ). Over time, the name of locality walked over Muthua, Mutua and Mote ( 1356) to Mouthe (since 1485 ).

Since the Middle Ages Mouthe formed a government which included nine villages: Mouthe, Sarrageois, Gellin, Boujeons, Rondefontaine, Les Pontets, Reculfoz, Le Crouzet and Petite- Chaux. In 1639, troops invaded the Duke Bernhard of Saxe- Weimar to Mouthe and destroyed the village. Many residents emigrated from then to the neighboring Swiss Vallée de Joux. Together with the Franche -Comté reached the village with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 to France. In the 19th century Mouthe was a regional center, with 1164 inhabitants in 1845 reached its highest level to date. The population found their income in crafts, especially in sawmills, wood processing, mills, tanneries and mechanical workshops. Again and again Mouthe was affected by devastating fires, most recently in 1849, when the whole of the upper part of the village was destroyed. By tram, which ran from Pontarlier via Mouthe after Foncine -le-Haut, the village was connected to public traffic in 1900. After the Second World War it has ceased operations, however.

Population

With 958 inhabitants ( 1 January 2011) Mouthe one of the smaller communities of the department of Doubs. After the population had decreased significantly in the last third of the 19th century, the population fluctuated in the first half always in the range of about 730 people. Since the early 1970s, population growth was recorded again.

Attractions

The parish church Eglise de l' Assomption Mouthe was built from 1733 to 1742 in the classical style. The three-nave church has a rich interior, including the choir stalls from the 16th century, a pulpit from the 18th century and a statue of St. Simon of Crépy ( 1434 ).

In the center, the Mairie ( Town Hall) is located in a castle-like building of 1849 with four corner towers.

Among the natural attractions of the region is one of the karst spring of the Doubs ( Source du Doubs).

Economy and infrastructure

Mouthe was always an embossed by agriculture, especially dairy farming and animal husbandry, forestry and the craft village. In addition, there are now a number of companies of small and medium industry, including companies in the wood processing, mechanical workshops and a biscuit factory. Many workers are also commuters who pursue their work in Switzerland. Mouthe is the seat of the municipal association Communauté de communes des Hauts du Doubs, site of a regional hospital and a College.

As a resort in a popular tourist area in the High Jura Mouthe now benefiting also from tourism. The community is geared both to the summer tourism (hiking, cycling, fishing) as well as on winter tourism ( alpine and Nordic skiing ). The northern slopes of Mont Noir near the Doubsquelle be opened up by several ski lifts. In good snow conditions in winter around 65 km of trails are groomed for cross-country skiing.

The village is located off the major thoroughfares of the secondary road D437, which runs from Saint -Laurent -en- Grandvaux to Pontarlier. Further road links exist with Remoray - Boujeons and Le Pont, at the Lac de Joux.

Personalities

• Fabrice Guy, Olympic champion in 1992 in Nordic combined