Mijoux
Encyclopedia
Mijoux is a commune
and village
in the Ain
department in eastern France
.
cliffs to the south-east that form the first anticline
of the Jura mountains
and the edge of the Lajoux
plateau
to the northwest. However, only the south-eastern side of the valley is within the commune's boundary, which stretches from the source of the Valserine river in the north, to the entry into Lélex
, further down the valley, in the south. The commune is roughly 16 km long and 2 km wide.
Despite its high altitude (just under 1000 m), the village is built around a crossroads of regional importance: the valley road (D991) which links Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
with Les Rousses
here crosses the D936 which links Saint-Claude
with Geneva
over the Col de la Faucille
. Both are former routes nationales
.
. The agreement thereby struck up stated that a hospice should be paid for and built within the valley.
The hospice was inhabited by monks who were charged with caring for the poorest pilgrims
visiting the tombs of the Saints of Condat in Saint-Claude
. Most of the pilgrims were from Geneva
or Savoy
. This was the first building to be inhabited year-round in Mijoux.
conditions within the valley that meant that winter
was harsh and that spring
was virtually nonexistent, the valley had remained uninhabited for a long time. However, due to the hospice, houses gradually appeared and work to clear the pines
began so as to allow agriculture
.
At first houses were built along the road that links Lajoux to the Col de la Faucille and it would not be until 1601 at the Treaty of Lyon
that the river that bisects the town would become a border: the south-eastern side of the valley became French. In 1612 at the Franco-Spanish treaty, signed in Auxonne
, the Valserine was chosen as the border between France and Spain
. The north-western side of the valley was ceded to France in 1678 at the Treaties of Nijmegen
.
in 1815, after Napoleon's downfall, the new border was defined, as it remains today: it passes along Mijoux's thin northern edge. The French customs
, however, were set up along the Valserine as Mijoux, Lélex
, Chézery-Forens
and the Pays de Gex
became a pays franc
. Today, the Valserine river serves as the border between the regions of Franche-Comté
and Rhône-Alpes
, Mijoux lying within the latter for its most part.
During this time, the valley was inhabited by numerous families, whose jobs changed depending on the season. During the summer
, tasks included collecting fodder for the livestock
, cultivating barley
and potatoesas well as collecting firewood
. In winter
, when the ground was covered in snow
, the same families cut and polished gems
.
However, the bloodshed of the Great War
and the resulting economic crisis
contributed to the abandonment of farms and a downturn in poulation levels that left the commune with only half the population it had had 50 years previously.
Today and since 1969, tourism is revitalising this village, mainly due to winter sports. The commune has, for the past 20 years, belonged to the Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura
.
, for the winter sports practised here. Since 1999, Mijoux has been part of the Monts Jura ski resort
. Ski lifts link Mijoux to the Col de la Faucille
at 1308m and to Mont Rond, at an altitude of 1543m above sea level, one of the highest in the Jura Mountains
. This part of the ski station is used mostly by downhill skiers
. La Vattay, further up the valley but still within Mijoux, is a centre for Cross-country skiing
.
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 village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Ain
Ain
Ain is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
department 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
The village is situated in the upper section of the narrow Valserine valley, nestled between high limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cliffs to the south-east that form the first anticline
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
of the Jura mountains
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
and the edge of the Lajoux
Lajoux
Lajoux is a municipality in the district of Franches-Montagnes in the canton of Jura in Switzerland....
plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
to the northwest. However, only the south-eastern side of the valley is within the commune's boundary, which stretches from the source of the Valserine river in the north, to the entry into Lélex
Lélex
Lélex is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, further down the valley, in the south. The commune is roughly 16 km long and 2 km wide.
Despite its high altitude (just under 1000 m), the village is built around a crossroads of regional importance: the valley road (D991) which links Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Geography:Bellegarde is located at the confluence of the Valserine and the Rhône....
with 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:...
here crosses the D936 which links Saint-Claude
Saint-Claude
Saint-Claude or St. Claude can refer to:Canada*St. Claude, Manitoba, the largest community in the Rural Municipality of Grey*Saint-Claude, Quebec, a municipality of Le Val-Saint-François, a Municipalité régionale de comté of QuebecFrance...
with 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...
over the Col de la Faucille
Col de la Faucille
Col de la Faucille is a high mountain pass in the department of Ain in the French Jura. It connects the town of Gex in Ain to the towns of Les Rousses and Saint-Claude in the department of Jura....
. Both are former routes nationales
Route nationale (France)
A route nationale, or simply nationale, is a trunk road in France. Trunk roads are in France are important roads which cross broad portions of the French territory, as opposed to secondary or communal roads who only serve local areas....
.
Origins
In 1334 the valley was declared common property and revenue was shared between Jean II de Rossillon and Hugues de Joinville, Sire of GexGex, Ain
Gex is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.It lies from the Swiss border and from Geneva. It is a sous-préfecture of Ain.-History:...
. The agreement thereby struck up stated that a hospice should be paid for and built within the valley.
The hospice was inhabited by monks who were charged with caring for the poorest pilgrims
Pilgrims
Pilgrims , or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States...
visiting the tombs of the Saints of Condat in Saint-Claude
Saint-Claude
Saint-Claude or St. Claude can refer to:Canada*St. Claude, Manitoba, the largest community in the Rural Municipality of Grey*Saint-Claude, Quebec, a municipality of Le Val-Saint-François, a Municipalité régionale de comté of QuebecFrance...
. Most of the pilgrims were from 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...
or Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
. This was the first building to be inhabited year-round in Mijoux.
The 15th to 18th centuries
Because of climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
conditions within the valley that meant that winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
was harsh and that spring
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
was virtually nonexistent, the valley had remained uninhabited for a long time. However, due to the hospice, houses gradually appeared and work to clear the pines
Pines
Pines may refer to:*Pine, coniferous trees of the genus Pinus, in the family Pinaceae*PINES or Public Information Network for Electronic Services- People with the surname :...
began so as to allow agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
At first houses were built along the road that links Lajoux to the Col de la Faucille and it would not be until 1601 at the Treaty of Lyon
Treaty of Lyon (1601)
The Treaty of Lyon was signed on January 17, 1601 between France, Spain, and Savoy. Based on the terms of the treaty, Henry IV of France relinquished Saluzzo to Savoy. In return, he acquired Bugey, Valromey, Gex, and Bresse. Eventually, the territory of Bresse was attached to the French military...
that the river that bisects the town would become a border: the south-eastern side of the valley became French. In 1612 at the Franco-Spanish treaty, signed in Auxonne
Auxonne
Auxonne is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in Bourgogne in eastern France.Auxonne is one of the sites of the defensive structures of Vauban, clearly seen from the train bridge as it enters the Auxonne SNCF train station on the Dijon - Besançon train line. It also was home to the Artillery...
, the Valserine was chosen as the border between France and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The north-western side of the valley was ceded to France in 1678 at the Treaties of Nijmegen
Treaties of Nijmegen
The Treaties of Peace of Nijmegen were a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and December 1679...
.
The 19th century until today
At the Treaty of ParisTreaty of Paris (1815)
Treaty of Paris of 1815, was signed on 20 November 1815 following the defeat and second abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte. In February, Napoleon had escaped from his exile on Elba; he entered Paris on 20 March, beginning the Hundred Days of his restored rule. Four days after France's defeat in the...
in 1815, after Napoleon's downfall, the new border was defined, as it remains today: it passes along Mijoux's thin northern edge. The French customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
, however, were set up along the Valserine as Mijoux, Lélex
Lélex
Lélex is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Chézery-Forens
Chézery-Forens
Chézery-Forens is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
and the Pays de Gex
Arrondissement of Gex
The arrondissement of Gex is an arrondissement of France, located in the Ain department, in the Rhône-Alpes region. It has 3 cantons and 29 communes.-Cantons:The cantons of the arrondissement of Gex are:# Collonges# Ferney-Voltaire# Gex-Communes:...
became a pays franc
Free trade zone
A free trade zone or export processing zone , also called foreign-trade zone, formerly free port is an area within which goods may be landed, handled, manufactured or reconfigured, and reexported without the intervention of the customs authorities...
. Today, the Valserine river serves as the border between the regions of 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...
and Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
, Mijoux lying within the latter for its most part.
During this time, the valley was inhabited by numerous families, whose jobs changed depending on the season. During the summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
, tasks included collecting fodder for the livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
, cultivating barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
and potatoesas well as collecting firewood
Firewood
Firewood is any wood-like material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form....
. In winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
, when the ground was covered in snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
, the same families cut and polished gems
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
.
However, the bloodshed of the Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the resulting economic crisis
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
contributed to the abandonment of farms and a downturn in poulation levels that left the commune with only half the population it had had 50 years previously.
Today and since 1969, tourism is revitalising this village, mainly due to winter sports. The commune has, for the past 20 years, belonged to the Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura
Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura
The parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura is a French regional natural park located in the southwest of the Jura Mountain Range in France, on the French-Swiss border.- Park description :...
.
Population
Economy
Mijoux's economy is largely driven by tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, for the winter sports practised here. Since 1999, Mijoux has been part of the Monts Jura ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
. Ski lifts link Mijoux to the Col de la Faucille
Col de la Faucille
Col de la Faucille is a high mountain pass in the department of Ain in the French Jura. It connects the town of Gex in Ain to the towns of Les Rousses and Saint-Claude in the department of Jura....
at 1308m and to Mont Rond, at an altitude of 1543m above sea level, one of the highest in the Jura Mountains
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
. This part of the ski station is used mostly by downhill skiers
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
. La Vattay, further up the valley but still within Mijoux, is a centre for Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
.
Points of interest
- Col de la FaucilleCol de la FaucilleCol de la Faucille is a high mountain pass in the department of Ain in the French Jura. It connects the town of Gex in Ain to the towns of Les Rousses and Saint-Claude in the department of Jura....
- The archaeological site around the orientation tables at Montrond, a Monument historiqueMonument historiqueA monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
since 1936. - Pont Charlemagne over the Valserine, that Yolande of ValoisYolande of ValoisYolande of Valois was a Duchess consort of Savoy. She was was a daughter of King Charles VII of France, "The Victorious," and Marie of Anjou. She married Duke Amadeus IX of Savoy in 1452. She was named after her grandmother, Yolande of Aragon. She is sometimes known as Yolande of France...
crossed with her kidnappers in 1476 during a kidnappingKidnappingIn criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
by the Duke of BurgundyDuke of BurgundyDuke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks...
. - Gemcutting museum.