Bethoncourt
Encyclopedia
Bethoncourt is a commune
in the Doubs
department in the Franche-Comté
region
in eastern France
.
, close to the border with the Haute-Saône
department and the Territoire de Belfort
. The Lizaine, formerly called the Luzine, flows through it.
and Audincourt
.
Shafts from 1 to 3 meters in diameter were dug to a depth of 40 meters. These led to horizontal galleries that allowed extraction of the mineral.
The ore was brought to a washing station (still extant), a sort of lock on the Lizaine between Bethoncourt and Bussurel. There the nodules of iron were washed out of the soil matrix.
The workers, mostly peasants, were well paid for this difficult and dangerous work. The galloshes (Gollutch) they wore became the nickname for the residents of Bethoncourt.
and on departmental highway D438.
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...
in the Doubs
Doubs
Doubs is a department the Franche-Comté region of eastern France named after the Doubs River.-History:As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the northern two-thirds of Doubs spoke the Franc-Comtois language, a dialect of Langue d'Oïl. Residents of the southern third of Doubs spoke a dialect...
department in the Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Bethoncourt lies north of MontbéliardMontbéliard
Montbéliard is a city in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department.-History:...
, close to the border with the Haute-Saône
Haute-Saône
Haute-Saône is a French department of the Franche-Comté région, named after the Saône River.- History :The department was created in the early years of the French Revolution through the application of a law dated 22 December 1789, from part of the former province of Franche-Comté...
department and the Territoire de Belfort
Territoire de Belfort
The Territoire de Belfort is a department in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France.-Administration:Its departmental code is 90, and its prefecture is Belfort...
. The Lizaine, formerly called the Luzine, flows through it.
Population
Economy
Bethoncourt possessed rich iron mines that provided ore for all the foundries in the region in such towns as ChageyChagey
Chagey is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
and Audincourt
Audincourt
Audincourt is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Population:-External links:*...
.
Shafts from 1 to 3 meters in diameter were dug to a depth of 40 meters. These led to horizontal galleries that allowed extraction of the mineral.
The ore was brought to a washing station (still extant), a sort of lock on the Lizaine between Bethoncourt and Bussurel. There the nodules of iron were washed out of the soil matrix.
The workers, mostly peasants, were well paid for this difficult and dangerous work. The galloshes (Gollutch) they wore became the nickname for the residents of Bethoncourt.
Transportation
Bethoncourt lies on the Strasbourg-Lyon line of the SNCFSNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
and on departmental highway D438.