Oncieu
Oncieu is a municipality with a population of 93 (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the French department of Ain , in the Rhône -Alpes.
Geography
Oncieu is located at 463 m above sea level. Level, about 35 kilometers southeast of the city of Bourg -en- Bresse and 30 kilometers west of Belley ( straight line ) in the southern French Jura Mountains. The area of 7.76 km2 municipal area comprises part of the strong in relief western foothills of the Bugey landscape. The place is situated on a rocky peak at the bottom of the Erosionstals Mandorne in the middle of an open south basin, which is flanked by up to 500 m high cliffs. The parish boundary follows the sharpened upper edge of this basin in the north and forms an elongated tip, which follows up the valley of the Mandorne. The creek drains the municipal area and opens into the Albarine, which also represents the southern boundary of the municipality.
The buildings in the village is unusual in that the houses are arranged in a circle around an approximately 100 m wide open space. Outside the town there are at Mandorne two former water mills, one for corn and one for paper.
Neighboring communities of Oncieu are Nivollet - Montgriffon and Aranc in the north, Évosges in the east, Argis in the south and Saint -Rambert -en- Bugey in the West.
History
Oncieu appears for the first time in 1191 under the Latinized name Onciacus in documents as part of the lands of the powerful Benedictine abbey of Saint -Rambert. Your 1576 since elevated to the Margraviate area came with the Treaty of Lyon in 1601 to France.
Attractions
It is already the view of the annular -scale village by one of the many vantage points along the escarpment of the valley of Oncin a sight. The village itself is classified as a site naturel. Uphill in a loop of the Mandorne Valley is the rock Rocher de la Cathédrale, which has a highly visible rock arch. At the escarpment to the high surface area of Évosges there are caves, the Grotte de Bruire and Grotte de l' Âne.
Population
With 93 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Oncieu is one of the smallest municipalities of the department of Ain. After the population had steadily decreased in the 20th century (1901 189 persons were still counted ), the trend was reversed in 1990, and the population increases again.
Economy and infrastructure
The south-facing steep slopes of the valley of Oncieu were once used for viticulture and still belong to the geographical appellation Coteaux de l' Ain, but are no longer planted. In Oncieu there are only a few agricultural and service enterprises, the rest of the working population are commuters who engage in the larger towns in the vicinity of their work. About half of the housing units are second homes.
Due to the unusual topography, the town has traditionally been off the major thoroughfares. A small secondary road branches off from the D1504 and connects the village with the cluse des Hôpitaux and the larger towns of the area. Your extension through the valley of Mandorne leads up to Aranc. Another connection with Évosges over a serpentine road. The nearest motorway ( A42 ) is located approximately 22 km away.