Vieux-Charmont

Vieux- Charmont is a commune in the French department Doubs in the Franche -Comté.

Geography

Vieux- Charmont is located on 326 m above the sea, about four kilometers northeast of the town of Montbéliard (air line). The village is located in the northeastern part of the basin of Montbeliard, on the western edge of the wide valley of Savoureuse and Allan, at the foot of the hill Chaux.

The area of ​​2.51 km ² municipal area includes a portion of the gently undulating countryside in the Burgundian Gate ( trouée de Belfort ). The main part of the territory occupied by the approximately 2 km wide valley of Savoureuse and Allan, which is on average 320 m. Through this valley flows the Savoureuse with more turns to the south. Several former sand and gravel pits are now filled with water ( Étangs de Brognard ) and, together with the east of nearby forest area Savoureuse Bois lingerie as a recreational area of Montbéliard. In the west, the area extends to the slope of the hill Chaux ( to 355 m). To the north, the municipality's area extends over the hill from Grand Bouloy (361 m) to the edge of the forest area Grands Bois. Here the highest elevation of Vieux- Charmont is achieved with 367 m.

Neighboring communities of Vieux- Charmont are Nommay in the north, Brognard in the east, Étupes and Sochaux in the south and Grand- Charmont in the West.

History

The first written mention of Vieux- Charmont took place in 1189 in a document from Pope Clement III. , Who confirmed the monastery Belchamp goods owned in Chalvus mons. The place name is derived from the Latin words calx (lime) and mons ( mountain). Over time, the spelling on Vilchalmont ( 1196), Viez Charmont (1340 ) transformed to Vieulx Charmont ( 1616). At the beginning of the 19th century was called the village for some time Charmont -sur- l'Eau.

Since the Middle Ages belonged Vieux- Charmont under the jurisdiction of the Counts of Montbéliard. The Reformation was introduced in 1538 in the village. With the annexation of the county of Montbeliard the village came in 1793 final in French hands. From the 17th to the 19th century at Vieux- Charmont iron ore was mined. During the 19th century, Vieux- Charmont developed into an industrial site with the textile industry ( 1866-1939 ) and the factory Marti ( founded in 1869 as a watch factory, later specialized in the production of metal accessories for the automotive industry, and in 2005 the company was set ) most important representatives. With the opening of the tram of Belfort Montbéliard to Vieux- Charmont in 1913 connected to the network of public transport. The operation on the route in 1940 but abandoned. Due to the proximity of the Peugeot factories (Sochaux, Montbeliard ), the village made ​​from around 1955 through a rapid development for residential suburb of Montbéliard. Today Vieux- Charmont part of the community association Agglomà du Pays de Montbéliard.

Attractions

The church of Saint -Julien was built in 1877, with the current bell tower was not added until 1901. Nearby is a modern Reformed Church. From 1890, the Château Marti, which was built by the founder of the watch factory came from.

Population

With 2566 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Vieux- Charmont belongs to the medium-sized municipalities in the department of Doubs. After the population had shown in the first half of the 20th century, only relatively small fluctuations, continued from about 1950 a striking increase in population a. Within about 20 years, tripled the population. With approximately 3,200 inhabitants in mid -1970s, the previous high was reached. The economic crisis and the Restrukturation industry in the Pays de Montbéliard in the period 1975-1990 led to many workers and families moved away. Consequently, a significant population decline was recorded. To date, the declining trend in weakened form continues. Since the peak Vieux- Charmont has lost about 700 inhabitants, which represents a decline of 20%. Today, the settlement area of Vieux- Charmont has grown together almost seamlessly with those of Sochaux, Grand- Charmont and Nommay.

Economy and infrastructure

Since the mid 19th century, Vieux- Charmont developed into an industrially dominated community and since about 1960 for residential suburb of Montbéliard. Today in the town of about 50 companies of small and medium industries are established, especially in the fields of mechanics, construction and transport industry, manufacturing of shutters, as well as several distribution warehouses. In addition, there are numerous shops of retail for your everyday needs. Many workers are also commuters who do their work in the other municipalities of the agglomeration Montbéliard.

The village has good transport links. It lies on the main road that leads from Montbéliard to Belfort. The nearest links to the A36 motorway, which runs through the municipality, is located at a distance of about 1.5 kilometers. Further road links exist with Grand- Charmont, Brognard and Étupes. With the city of Montbéliard and the surrounding communities Vieux- Charmont is connected by several bus lines.