Septmoncel

Septmoncel is a commune in the French department of Jura in the Franche -Comté.

Geography

Septmoncel is located at 960 m above sea level. M., approximately four kilometers southeast of the town of Saint- Claude ( straight line ). The former village street lines extending high Jura, on a sloping to the southeast slope above the valley of the Ruisseau de Chapy at the upper entrance to the Gorges du Flumen, in the northern area of the Hautes- Combes.

The area of ​​19.86 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the French Jura. The area is almost exclusively on the plateau of the Hautes- Combes (on average at 1100 m above sea level. M. ). The landscape is undulating and shows natural features such as ridges and troughs oriented southwest-northeast direction according to the strike of the Jura Mountains in the area. In this plateau the broad Talung is deepened Septmoncel ( drained by the Ruisseau de Chapy ), which gradually descends to the southwest. Boasting a striking stepped valley this valley opens into the transverse valley of the Gorges du Flumen, which is designed as a typical Klus. The Gorges du Flumen are flanked on both sides by steep slopes, which are crossed by numerous rock bands. To the north is the Klus of the amount Sur les Grés, in the south of the Roche Blanche ( 1089 m asl. ) ( 1140 m asl; . Viewpoint) hemmed.

In the north the municipality area extends to the wooded ridge ( 1237 m above sea level. M. ), which separates the valley of Septmoncel of the Combe de Tressus. To the east of the municipality of soil in the Bois du Gyps (1230 m above sea level. M. ) and on the plateau extends south of Lajoux. With 1281 m above sea level. M. is achieved above the homestead La Trace on the edge of the valley of the Valserine the highest elevation of Septmoncel. The plateau is a loose structure of pasture and forest. At various points there are typical karst features such as sinkholes and karst fields. The area of Septmoncel is part of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut- Jura.

To Septmoncel addition to the actual village also includes various hamlets, groups of farms, and numerous individual farms, including:

• Les Moulins (801 m above sea level. M. ) at the upper entrance to the Gorges du Flumen
• Montépile (880 m above sea level. M. ) on the southeast slope of Sur les Grés
• Sur l' Etain (914 m above sea level. Altitude) in a valley on the Ruisseau de Chapy
• Sur le Chapy ( 965 m above sea level. M. ) on the southern flank of the Ruisseau de Chapy
• Le Manon ( 1167 m above sea level. M. ) on the plateau west of Lajoux

Neighboring municipalities of Saint -Claude Septmoncel are in the north, and Lamoura Lajoux in the east, Les Molunes in the south and Villard -Saint -Sauveur in the West.

History

The area around Septmoncel was cleared from about the year 800 by the monks of the monastery of Saint- Claude and reclaimed. Is first mentioned Septmoncel until 1245 in a papal bull of Innocent IV, at that time still under the name September Acervis. The small village formed a parish, which extended over large parts of the Hautes- Combes. Located in the border area between France and the Franche -Comté, Septmoncel in 1639 sacked by French troops. Together with the Franche -Comté reached the village with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678 to France.

In the 18th century, the town became a center of the gem and diamond cutting ( among other accessories for watchmaking ). To territorial changes occurred in 1790, when first Les Molunes was separated from Septmoncel, and 1839 with the separation of places Lajoux and Lamoura.

Attractions

The present parish church of Saint- Etienne was consecrated in 1682. The Musée du Coulou the handicrafts of the region is shown. Among the natural attractions in the region include Gorges du Flumen, the waterfalls of the Chapeau de Gendarme and Flumen. The latter forms a striking rock formation where the fold structure of the rock layers from the Cretaceous period is clearly visible. The structure takes its name from the similarity to the shape of a Gendarmenhutes.

Population

With 683 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Septmoncel is one of the small towns in the Jura. After the population had decreased significantly in the first half of the 20th century (1906 1444 people were still counted ), only small fluctuations were recorded since the beginning of the 1970s.

Economy and infrastructure

Septmoncel was until well into the 20th century a predominantly coined by agriculture, especially livestock and dairy farming, as well as by the forestry village. The operated since the 18th century gemstone is still relevant today. There are also some plants of the local small business sector. Many workers are also commuters who engage in the larger towns in the area, especially in Saint -Claude their work.

As a resort in a popular tourist area in the High Jura Septmoncel now benefiting also from tourism, especially on winter tourism, when cross-country skiing can be operated on the plateau of the Hautes- Combes. The slopes south of Le Manon are accessible by ski lifts for alpine skiing.

The village region has a quite well developed. It is located on a main road that leads from Saint -Claude for Faucille. Further road links exist with Lamoura and Les Moussières.