Offemont

Offemont ( formerly Offemundt German ) is a town in the French department of Territoire de Belfort in the Franche -Comté. It is capital of the canton in the Arrondissement Offemont Belfort.

Geography

Offemont is located at 370 m above sea level, about four miles north- northeast of the town of Belfort ( a straight line ). The village is located in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains, in a wide valley on the northern edge of the Burgundian Gate, between the Etang de la Forge in the south and the hills of the Forêt de Roppe in the north.

The area of ​​5.55 km ² municipal area comprises a section in the northern part of the Burgundian Gate ( trouée de Belfort ). The main part of the area occupied by the depression of Offemont having a width of two kilometers, and is on average of 360 m. In this valley, which is used predominantly agricultural outside the settlement area, is the Etang de la Forge. This serves as a recreational area and offers different kinds of water and leisure sports. The sink is drained by the village stream to the southwest of Offemont to Savoureuse. The valley of Offemont is flanked to the south by elongated ridges of Fort de la Miotte, at the northern foot runs the municipal boundary. To the north, the municipality's area extends into the wooded area of the Forêt de Roppe. With 494 m is achieved at Mont Rodolphe the highest elevation of Offemont.

To Offemont addition to the actual village also includes the settlements:

• Le Martinet (375 m ) at the edge of the Forêt d' Arsot
• Cité d' Arsot (366 m ) in the plane on the eastern edge of the valley Savoureuse

Neighboring communities of Offemont are Éloie in the north, and Vétrigne Denney in the east, the south and Belfort Valdoie in the West.

History

The territory of Offemont was settled very early. The earliest traces of human presence date back to the Neolithic period. During the Roman era there was a settlement here, which was probably inhabited from the 1st to the 4th century. Remains of a pottery studio, a villa, a temple and a secondary traffic route that led from Belfort to Rougemont- le -Château, as well as numerous stray finds have been discovered since the 19th century.

Is first mentioned Offemont in 1324. The place name may be derived from the Latin mons Iovis ( Mount of Jupiter ). First, standing in the sphere of influence of the Counts of Montbéliard, the village mid-14th century came under the suzerainty of the Habsburg dynasty. Together with the Sundgau Offemont came with the 1648 Peace of Westphalia to the French crown. Since 1793 Offemont 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. After the Franco-German war the end of the 19th century, the Fort du Mont Rodolphe was built, which formed part of the fastening ring to Belfort.

In the vicinity of Offemont several quarries, where the red sandstone ( including the Cathedral Saint -Christophe de Belfort ) was mined for the construction of houses and churches in the area were. End of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century the industrialization of lying on the northern edge of Belfort town began. This was especially the metal-working industry of importance. 1913 Offemont was served by a railway line, which ran from Belfort to Rougemont- le -Château, on the French railway network. The operation, however, was reinstated in 1948. Since 1973 member of the agglomeration Offemont Belfort (now community association Communauté d' Agglomà Belfortaine ).

Attractions

The church of Saint -Augustin was built in 1846, and since then Offemont forms its own parish. A crossroads is from 1712. In the old town, some houses are preserved in the traditional style, with the oldest dating from 1688.

Population

With 3513 inhabitants ( 1 January 2011) Offemont belongs to the medium-sized municipalities in the department of Territoire de Belfort. The population growth of Offemont took place in several stages. Particularly high growth rates were recorded at the beginning of the 20th century. After a prolonged period of stagnation from 1920 to 1950 the population rose from 1950 to 1982 again significantly. During this period, the population quadrupled. Around 1990, the previous high was reached with just over 4200 inhabitants. Since then, there was initially a light, recorded in recent years a marked decline, which now amounts to more than 20%. Today, the settlement area of Offemont with those of Belfort and Valdoie has grown together almost seamlessly.

Economy and infrastructure

Since the beginning of the 20th century Offemont developed into a characteristically industrial community. Today in the town of numerous plants of small and medium industries are resident, while metal-working industry, electroforming, precision engineering, the manufacture of accessories for the automotive industry and construction are the most important industries. Offemont is the location of a distribution center of the post. Furthermore, there are many shops of retail for your everyday needs. Many workers are also commuters who do their work in the other municipalities of the agglomeration Belfort and Montbéliard.

The village has good transport links. It is located on a secondary road, leading from Roppe after Valdoie. The nearest links to the A36 motorway is located at a distance of about five kilometers. Further road links exist with Belfort and Denney. With the city of Belfort Offemont is connected by a bus.