Orsans (Doubs)
Orsans is a commune in the French department Doubs in the Franche -Comté.
Geography
Orsans is located on 525 m above sea level, 12 km south of Baume- les -Dames and about 27 km east of the city of Besançon (air line). The village is located in the Jura, in a wide opening on both sides of the creek Audeux.
The area of 8.29 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The main part of the area occupied by the basin of Orsans, which is partly covered by arable and meadow land, partly by forest. It is drained by the Audeux west to Sesserant and Cusancin. The basin is in the north of the ridge of the Grand Bois, in the west of the heights of Belmont ( 630 m find the highest mountains of Orsans reached) and flanked to the south by the high plateau of Vercel. To the northwest, the municipality's area extends into the small erosion valley of La Grâce -Dieu ( drained by the Audeux ) and to the north then the amount of the Bois de Big Aige (602 m).
Neighboring communities of Orsans are Saint- Juan and Passavant in the north, Courtetain -et- Salans in the East, and Belmont to the south and Bremondans Chaux -lès- Passavant and Aïssey in the West.
History
In the Middle Ages Orsans belonged to the rule Passavant, which was owned by the Lords of Montbéliard since the 14th century. The castle was sacked by French troops in 1595. Together with the Franche -Comté Orsans came with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 to France. Since 1998 Orsans is a member of the 44- villages municipal association Communauté de communes du Pays de Pierre Fontaine - Vercel.
By 1 January 2009 there was a change in the membership of the district municipality. So far, belonging to the district Besançon, all municipalities in the canton came to the district Pontarlier.
Attractions
In the 19th century village church of Orsans was built. The Chapel of Saint -Claude has a stone relief of the twelve apostles. In the village there are several old farmhouses dating from the 17th to the 19th century in the characteristic style of the Franche -Comté.
Population
With 162 inhabitants ( 1 January 2011) Orsans one of the small communities of the department of Doubs. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (1886 293 persons were still counted ), a slight increase in population was recorded since the early 1990s again.
Economy and infrastructure
Orsans was until well into the 20th century a predominantly by agriculture (crops, orchards and livestock ) embossed village. In addition, there are today some of the local small business enterprises. Many workers are also commuters who engage in the surrounding larger towns of their work.
The village is located off the major thoroughfares on a secondary road that leads from Baume- les -Dames by Vercel - Villedieu -le-Camp. Further road links exist with Aïssey, Landresse and Belmont.