Lons-le-Saunier
Encyclopedia
Lons-le-Saunier is a commune
and capital of the Jura department in eastern France.
and to the north extensive vineyard
s.
The River Vallière runs through the town, rising in a typical Jura blind valley not far away, at Revigny
. It has been conduited since the 1960s on grounds of hygiene, since sewage outlets run into it. A small section remains in the open air near the parc des Bains, and only a single bridge (the pont de la Guiche) remains.
The town is approximately equally placed between Besançon
, Dijon
, Bourg-en-Bresse
and Geneva
, though the last of these lies on the other side of the Jura massif. It is served by the A39 autoroute
, by which Dijon can be reached in about an hour and Lyon
in an hour and a half. The town's railway station lies on the line from Strasbourg
to Lyon
.
The wine-growing region to the north of the town is particularly well known, and includes the vintages of l'Etoile, Château-Chalon
and Arbois
.
The Jura escarpment to the south and east is a popular tourist region, with its attractions including the lakes of Chalain, Clairvaux
and Vouglans (at Lect, Jura
), and mountain resorts such as Prénovel
and Les Rousses
.
In terms of area, Lons-le-Saunier is the second smallest prefectural town in France, after Bobigny
.
, Germany Ripley
, United Kingdom
Note: this article incorporates text from the 1878 edition of the Globe Encyclopaedia of Universal Information, a work in the public domain, and material translated from the French Wikipedia page on the same topic.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
and capital of the Jura department in eastern France.
Geography
The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the "premier plateau" of the Jura massif. The Jura escarpment extends to the east and south, while to the west lies the plain of BresseBresse
Bresse is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne, and Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term Bresse has two meanings: Bresse bourguignonne , which is situated in the east of the department of Saône-et-Loire, and Bresse, which is located...
and to the north extensive vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s.
The River Vallière runs through the town, rising in a typical Jura blind valley not far away, at Revigny
Revigny
Revigny is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-Geography:The Vallière has its source in the southern part of the commune; it flows northward through the commune, in the steephead valley where lies the village.-Demographics:...
. It has been conduited since the 1960s on grounds of hygiene, since sewage outlets run into it. A small section remains in the open air near the parc des Bains, and only a single bridge (the pont de la Guiche) remains.
The town is approximately equally placed between Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
, Bourg-en-Bresse
Bourg-en-Bresse
Bourg-en-Bresse is a commune in eastern France, capital of the Ain department, and was capital of the former province of Bresse . It is located north-northeast of Lyon.The inhabitants of Bourg-en-Bresse are known as Burgiens.-Geography:...
and Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, though the last of these lies on the other side of the Jura massif. It is served by the A39 autoroute
A39 autoroute
The A 39 autoroute is a motorway in eastern France. It is also called the L'Autoroute Verte. The road connects Dijon with Dole and Bourg en Bresse...
, by which Dijon can be reached in about an hour and Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
in an hour and a half. The town's railway station lies on the line from Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
to Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
.
The wine-growing region to the north of the town is particularly well known, and includes the vintages of l'Etoile, Château-Chalon
Château-Chalon
Château-Chalon is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
and Arbois
Arbois
Arbois is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France. The Cuisance River passes through the town, which has some pretty streets lined with ancient houses...
.
The Jura escarpment to the south and east is a popular tourist region, with its attractions including the lakes of Chalain, Clairvaux
Lacs de Clairvaux
Lacs de Clairvaux are two lakes at Clairvaux-les-Lacs in the Jura department of France. The Grand Lac has a surface area of 56.5 ha, the Petit Lac of 17 ha....
and Vouglans (at Lect, Jura
Lect, Jura
Lect is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
), and mountain resorts such as Prénovel
Prénovel
Prénovel is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-Demographics:As of the census of 1999, the population was 296.The estimate for 2005 was 310.-References:*...
and Les Rousses
Les Rousses
Les Rousses is a commune in the Jura département in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.Lac des Rousses is located on the territory of the commune.-Demographics:As of the census of 1999, the population was .The estimate for 2006 was .-Tourism:...
.
In terms of area, Lons-le-Saunier is the second smallest prefectural town in France, after Bobigny
Bobigny
Bobigny is a commune, or town, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Bobigny is the préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Bobigny...
.
Globe description
The 1878 edition of the 'Globe Encyclopaedia of Universal Information' described Lons-le-Saunier as:- Lons-le-Saunier, the chief town of the department of Jura, France, on the Vallière, 60 miles S.E. of Dijon by rail. It is picturesquely girt by high mountains, the lower slopes of which are clad with vines. There are copper and iron foundries, and a trade in horses, cattle, grain, cheese, etc... The celebrated salt-springs yield 20,000 ctr. yearly. Pop. (1872) 9427. Lons-le-Saunier is the ancient Ledo Saliiiaritit.
Births
- Claude Joseph Rouget de LisleClaude Joseph Rouget de LisleClaude Joseph Rouget de Lisle , was a French Army officer of the Revolutionary Wars. He is known for writing the words and music of the Chant de guerre pour l'armée du Rhin in 1792, which would later be known as La Marseillaise and become the French national anthem.- Biography :Rouget de Lisle was...
(1760–1836), composer of La MarseillaiseLa Marseillaise"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795...
, the French national anthemNational anthemA national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence... - Étienne BobillierÉtienne BobillierÉtienne Bobillier was a French mathematician.He was born in Lons-le-Saunier, France. At the age of 19 he was accepted into the École Polytechnique and studied there for a year. However, due to a shortage of money, in 1818 he became an instructor in mathematics at the École des Arts et Métiers in...
(1798–1840), mathematicianMathematicianA mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change.... - Maurice JolyMaurice JolyMaurice Joly was a French satirist and lawyer known for his work titled The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu, later used as a basis for The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.-Life:...
(1829–78), satirist and lawyer - René RémondRené Rémond-Biography:Born in Lons-le-Saunier, Rémond was the Secretary General of Jeunesses étudiantes Catholiques and a member of the International YCS Center of Documentation and Information in Paris, presently the International Secretariat of International Young Catholic Students The author of books on...
(born 1918), historian and political economist - Guy CanivetGuy CanivetGuy Canivet is a French judge., he is president of the Court of Cassation and as such is the highest judge in France....
(born 1943), judge
Residents
- General Claude LecourbeClaude LecourbeClaude Jacques Lecourbe , born in Besançon, was a French general during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars....
(1759–1815) studied in Lons; a statue of him stands in the central Place de la Liberté
Twin towns
Lons-le-Saunier is twinned with: OffenburgOffenburg
Offenburg is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city and the capital of the Ortenaukreis.Offenburg also houses University of Applied Sciences Offenburg...
, Germany Ripley
Ripley, North Yorkshire
Ripley is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire in England, a few miles north of Harrogate on the A61 road towards Ripon.A castle dating from the 15th century, Ripley Castle, has been the home of the Ingilby family for 700 years. The present owner is Sir Thomas Ingilby, 6th Baronet , the...
, United Kingdom
External links
Note: this article incorporates text from the 1878 edition of the Globe Encyclopaedia of Universal Information, a work in the public domain, and material translated from the French Wikipedia page on the same topic.