Arbois


Arbois is a commune in the Jura department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, eastern France. The river Cuisance passes through the town, which centres on an arcaded central square where one can sample the local wines.
The commune has been awarded two flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the competition of Cities and Villages in Bloom.

Geography

Arbois is located some 40 km southwest of Besançon and 30 km southeast of Dole. With a typical Revermont landscape, the plain is mainly used for cropping of cereals on medium-sized plots of land. The lower slopes consist mainly of meadows surrounded by small hedges for dairy farming, with some vineyards located in the same area. The rest of the hills is occupied by small vineyards with a few scattered meadows. The top of the hills and the plateau are heavily forested.

Communication and transport

Access to the commune is by Route nationale N83 which comes from Mouchard in the north and passes through the town before continuing south to Buvilly. The D469 goes west from the village to Mathenay and the D107 goes east to Mesnay. The D14 goes north to Villers-Farlay and the D246 goes south to Pupillin.
The town is about 40 minutes drive from Dole, Besançon and Lons-le-Saunier. It takes about 2 hours to reach Geneva by car, and 1 hour 45 minutes to drive to Lyon.
;SNCF Arbois
The railway station is just north of the town and all TER Franche-Comté trains serve this station. The nearest TGV station is at Mouchard on the Paris-Switzerland line.
;Aerodrome
There is a small aerodrome in the north of the commune with the ICAO code LFGD and a restricted use runway.

Hydrology

Arbois is traversed by the Cuisance river and is part of Revermont since it lies at the foot of the Plateau of Lons-le-Saunier, the first plateau of the Jura.
Together with Salins-les-Bains and Poligny, it forms the "Heart of the Jura" Community of Communes.''

Climate

This small, historic town often enjoys episodes of fine weather from March through to October. The presence of vineyards reflects this and the Loue and Doubs rivers are far enough away to limit the occurrence of fog in the winter. The influence of the small Cuisance river is low. The town does, however, receive generous amounts of precipitation throughout the year, totaling nearly 1,000 mm annually. The climate is rather continental with cold winters and little snow but hot in summer.

History

The origin of the town of Arbois dates back to remote times, although specifications are difficult. It is certain, however, that its wines were known to the Romans.
Until 1260, Arbois was a villa or town without defences: it was surrounded by ramparts during the following ten years.
Arbois endured seven sieges when it was part of the Duchy of Burgundy, including sackings by Charles I of Amboise, Henry IV, and Louis XIV. A castle was built in 1270, some vestiges of which survived the dismantling that Louis XIV ordered in 1678 following the conquest of Franche-Comté. There remain stretches of wall, pierced for archers, three round towers, and the square Gloriette tower.
When the republic was proclaimed at Lyon on 13 April 1834, the town joined the revolt against the government, which promptly sent a small force of grenadiers, cavalry, and a battery of artillery to subdue it.
The U.S. 36th Infantry Division liberated Arbois in September 1944 as it moved up the Rhône towards Besançon and then on to the Moselle.

Heraldry

The Arbois symbol is the heraldic pelican which is called a Pelican in her piety who is feeding her young from her beak. This is a Christian symbol and is accompanied by the motto of the city which is Sic his quos diligo. The Arbois band, which plays during the Biou festival is called Le Pelican in reference to this symbolic bird. There is also a Guggenmusik band called .
The arms use the colours of the city: yellow and black which are an allusion to yellow wine and dark forests.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors
FromToNameParty
20012008Raymond PageUMP
20082020Bernard Amiens
20202026Valérie Depierre

Population

Economy

Arbois is a small rural town with a rich historical heritage and important advantages for agricultural activity such as viticulture, an industrial enterprise among the 10 largest in the department, and tourism based on its heritage and gastronomy.
There is, however, some hidden economic fragility with an aging population, sensitive industries at risk of relocation, a downturn in the diversity of shopping, and an overestimation of the value of property which tends to deter young households.

Agriculture

The area produces some of the best Jura wines, including vin jaune and vin de Paille, in the Arbois AOC; this is the dominant activity. Arbois has many wineries such as Henri Maire, the cooperative Fruitière vinicole d'Arbois, Rolet, Stéphane Tissot, Jacques Tissot, Domaine de la Pinte, Pascal Clairet, Michel Gahier, Frédéric Lornet, and Fumey-Chatelain.
The Arbois Appellation d'origine contrôlée was introduced in 1936 and covers 13 communes on the hills and valley slopes surrounding the town. One of these, a small village named Pupillin, is particularly known for the quality of its wines, which come from a patchwork of vineyards planted on south-facing, limestone-rich slopes. Wines from these sites are sold as Arbois-Pupillin. Arbois wines are produced from around 2,100 acres of vineyards, planted with Chardonnay, Savagnin, Poulsard, Pinot Noir and Trousseau.
About 70% of Jura's red wines are produced under the Arbois name, along with about 30% of its whites.
Some bottles are labeled with the saying : "Arbois wine: the more you drink, the more it goes right!". An old familiar song, the Tourdion is a song on the wines of Anjou or Arbois. It is also mentioned by Jacques Brel in his song Pour mon dernier repas as well as by Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine in La cancoillotte. In 1285 the Count of Chiny used to offer it to his guests during the Chauvency Tournament according to the troubadour Jacques Bretel who drank it in the company of Henri de Briey.
Arbois also has dairy farms in the AOC of Comté and Morbier.

Industry

Industries other than wine contribute to the wealth of the commune including Bost-Garnache Industries which manufactures screwdrivers, SIOBRA who do zinc injection moulding, and CIFC who build industrial wood framing.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
  • The Brand consorts House
  • The Hydro-Electric Power Station
  • The Delort House
  • The Hotel de Broissia
  • The Fruitière vinicole d'Arbois
  • The Béchet Mill at 2 Avenue Pasteur
  • The Chateau of Verreux at 2 Rue de Verreux
  • The Chateau Bontemps
  • The Gloriette Tower. The Tour Gloriette was built in the 13th century together with the Tour Velfaux, and integrated into the Château Pécauld. The Gloriette was one of the principal elements of the city's ramparts which stretched for some 1200 metres. It was badly damaged in 1503 when the Cuisance overflowed its banks. With a height of 17 metres and a square base 11 metres on each side, the current tower was restored at the beginning of the 16th century. Although the city was attacked by several armies, the tower itself was never attacked.
  • Louis Pasteur's House. It was the only house the scientist owned. The house is preserved in its original state, exactly as it was when Louis Pasteur was alive with his private laboratory. The Pasteur House contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
  • *A Bathtub
  • *A Tabletop Still
  • *A Painting: Virgin and Child
  • *3 Daguerreotypes
  • *An Inkwell
  • *A Bon Marché box
  • *A Drawing: The Funerals of Atala
  • *A Drawing: Bust of a young woman
  • *A Plate: Pasteur born at Dole
  • *A Painting: A clear night at Aiguebelette Lake
  • *A Statue: Christ
  • *A Praxinoscope
  • *A Gypsum Plate
  • *3 Chairs
  • *A Commode
  • The Palace of Justice contains a Bronze Clock which is registered as an historical object.
  • The Château Pécaud and Velfaux Tower. The Château Pécauld was built in the 11th and 14th centuries and once belonged to the Dukes of Burgundy. It now houses a small museum dedicated to wine growing and production. By the 13th century, it was part the defences of the city. Its large circular tower is known as the Tour de Velfaux after the tower's owner, Guillaume de Velfaux, who sold it to Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle, the father of Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle. De Grenvelle added to the house proper at the beginning of the 16th century, at the end of which the Pecauld family acquired it. During the French Revolution the house was nationalized and sold in 1826 to the city of Arbois. Later, the Institute of Wines of Jura restored it.
;Other sites of Interest
  • The Hôtel d'Achey, then became Sarret de Grozon, Grande Rue, today an Art Museum which displays, among others, the works of Gustave Courbet;
  • The Fountain of Lions, Place de la Liberté;
  • A Fountain, Rue de Courcelles;
  • The 'Saut de la Cuisance, near the bridge on Rue de l'Hôtel de ville;
  • The Arbois Wine-growing area ;
  • The Belvédère de l'Hermitage.
  • Les Planches Cave
  • The Hotel-Dieu contains three items that are registered as historical objects:
  • *A Painting: Saint Antoine
  • *A Painting: Saint François
  • *A Painting: Saint Marthe
  • The Hospital contains several religious and other items that are registered as historical objects:
  • *A Chalice with its Paten
  • *A Casket for Holy Oil
  • *A Wooden Clock
  • *A Bronze Mortar
  • *70 Ceramic Pharmaceutical Jars
  • *A Bronze Clock