Champagnole

Champagnole
Champagnole
Location within Franche-Comté region  Champagnole
Administration
Country	France
Region	Franche-Comté
Department	Jura
Arrondissement	Lons-le-Saunier
Canton	Champagnole
Mayor	Jean Charoppin (2001–2008)
Statistics
Elevation	476–783 m (1,562–2,569 ft) (avg. 545 m/1,788 ft)
Land area1	20.18 km2 (7.79 sq mi)
Population2	8,587  (2006)
- Density	426 /km2 (1,100 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	39097/ 39300
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 46°44′53″N 5°54′28″E / 46.7480555556°N 5.90777777778°E / 46.7480555556; 5.90777777778

Champagnole is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.

Geography

Champagnole has the publicity tag of "Pearl of the Jura" and is a small town at the geographical centre of Jura tourism. It stands on the right bank of the young River Ain at the foot of Mont Rivel (800m). It is around 130 km north east of Lyon, around 90 km south east of Dijon, and around 60 km north of Geneva.

Economy

Champagnole’s economic activity is principally industrial. The town is surrounded by blocks of forest so the exploitation of the timber and of its derivatives supplies the raw materials for furniture factories, including bathroom furniture. There is also a craft trade in box-making, wooden utensils and toys.

The presence of the Ain is the source of other industries at Champagnole: mills, iron and steel working, including specialist steels and drawing wire to special sections. The Forges de Syam, which are classed as an historic monument, are a proud representative of this metalworking tradition. A less obvious connection with the river lies in the aluminium foundry-work done at Champagnole but a speciality in this field usually goes with a supply of relatively cheap, hydroelectricity, a product of the Ain since the early 20th century. There are also printing works, plastic injection moulding factories, micro-mechanical workshops and optical laboratories producing spectacles.

Its food specialities are charcuterie or pork butchery, represented by fumé du Jura (smoked Jura ham); Comté (a cow’s milk cheese) or goat cheese, other milk products and honey (from spruce and from flowers).

History

The modern economy of the town is based on the economic assets of the region historically. Though it is normal to think of steel works in connection with extensive, flat sites and the proximity of coal, here iron-working began before the use of coal for the purpose was practical. The forest was needed to provide charcoal. The river in its steep bed provided power. There was plenty of limestone for smelting flux and some ferruginous limestone, though how useful that will have been as ore is not clear. (Compare Red Mountain, Birmingham, Alabama). Another consideration is the fact that Champagnole is so to speak, just over the hill from La Tène, the centre of late Iron Age culture. See La Tène culture.

Administration

List of the successive mayors

mandate	Name	Party	background
March 2001	Jean Charoppin
'Earlier data are not yet available.

Demography

Historical population of Champagnole

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2005
7531	9273	10293	9713	9250	8616	8296 (est.)
From the year 1962 on: population without double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Its inhabitants are known as Champagnolais.

Monuments and tourism sites

• Gateway to the high Jura and to the land of the Jura lakes, Champagnole is a floral town featuring the "Parc de Belle Frise". The Ain passes below the lower edge of the park. On its bank are walks. Champagnole is a sporting town with all types of sports club including rugby, football, tennis, baseball, pétanque and handball.
• In the same way, Champagnole is the gateway to the Route des Sapins (the Pine Road), which in forty kilometres, crosses the forests of the Frese, the Joux and of Levier, named after the commune where the route ends.
• The Forges de Syam form part both of the history of Champagnole's industry and of its present. There are signs that it may be set for the future too.

See also

• Jura (département)
• Jura mountains
• Lac de Vouglans
• Communes of the Jura department

Twin towns

• Gottmadingen (Germany) in German
• Dukinfield, England, twinned since 1958

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

• Official town site
• Champagnole on the Quid site in French.
• The nearest communes to Champagnole
• Find Champagnole on the map of France
• Plan of Champagnole on Mapquest