Belley
Belley (French pronunciation: [bəlɛ] ⓘ[3][4][5]) is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.
Belley | |
|---|---|
Subprefecture | |
 Place des Terreaux | |
.svg.png.webp) Coat of arms | |
Location of Belley | |
  Belley  Belley | |
| Coordinates: 45°46′00″N 5°41′00″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Ain |
| Arrondissement | Belley |
| Canton | Belley |
| Intercommunality | Bugey Sud |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Dimitri Lahuerta[1] |
| Area 1 | 22.42 km2 (8.66 sq mi) |
| Population | 9,207 |
| • Density | 410/km2 (1,100/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Belleysans |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 01034 /01300 |
| Elevation | 220–392 m (722–1,286 ft) (avg. 306 m or 1,004 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
History
Belley is of Roman origin, and in the 5th century became an episcopal see. It was the capital of the province of Bugey, which was a dependency of Savoy till 1601, when it was ceded to France. In 1385 the town was almost entirely destroyed by an act of incendiarism, but was municipalitysequently rebuilt by the dukes of Savoy, who surrounded it with ramparts of which little is left.[6]
Belley was the birthplace of the epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
Ecclesiastical history
Belley was the seat of the Bishop of Belley and the location of Belley Cathedral. Belley is the home region of St. Peter Chanel, the famous 19th-century Marist missionary martyr and proto-martyr of Oceania.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 7,049 | — |
| 1975 | 7,583 | +1.05% |
| 1982 | 7,981 | +0.73% |
| 1990 | 7,807 | −0.28% |
| 1999 | 8,004 | +0.28% |
| 2007 | 8,665 | +1.00% |
| 2012 | 8,870 | +0.47% |
| 2017 | 9,103 | +0.52% |
| Source: INSEE[7] | ||
Climate
Belley features an oceanic climate (Cfb) but with strong continental influences due to its far inland position and its proximity to the Jura mountains under the Köppen system. Both temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) and air frosts are common.
| Climate data for Belley (1991−2020 normals, extremes 2001−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.0 (62.6) |
21.0 (69.8) |
24.5 (76.1) |
29.2 (84.6) |
32.6 (90.7) |
37.3 (99.1) |
38.6 (101.5) |
40.1 (104.2) |
32.8 (91.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
22.6 (72.7) |
17.2 (63.0) |
40.1 (104.2) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) |
8.0 (46.4) |
13.1 (55.6) |
17.9 (64.2) |
21.0 (69.8) |
25.9 (78.6) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.2 (81.0) |
22.9 (73.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
10.5 (50.9) |
6.2 (43.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) |
4.1 (39.4) |
8.2 (46.8) |
12.3 (54.1) |
15.5 (59.9) |
19.9 (67.8) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.0 (69.8) |
17.3 (63.1) |
12.8 (55.0) |
7.1 (44.8) |
3.2 (37.8) |
12.1 (53.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) |
0.1 (32.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
6.6 (43.9) |
9.9 (49.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.2 (59.4) |
14.7 (58.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
3.8 (38.8) |
0.3 (32.5) |
7.3 (45.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11.3 (11.7) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
0.9 (33.6) |
4.0 (39.2) |
7.7 (45.9) |
7.6 (45.7) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 103.6 (4.08) |
76.5 (3.01) |
89.6 (3.53) |
76.0 (2.99) |
100.7 (3.96) |
86.5 (3.41) |
79.4 (3.13) |
93.4 (3.68) |
63.3 (2.49) |
118.3 (4.66) |
111.2 (4.38) |
101.3 (3.99) |
1,099.8 (43.30) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.9 | 8.6 | 10.6 | 8.3 | 12.1 | 9.0 | 7.8 | 9.0 | 7.2 | 10.2 | 10.3 | 11.0 | 114.8 |
| Source: Météo-France[8] | |||||||||||||
Economy
The town is famed for its cheese, la Tome de Belley, also known as Chevret or still "Le pavé d'Affinois". It is also at the centre of the Bugey wine region. It is also home to a sizeable Volvo production unit producing compact excavators, Comatel and Ciat.
Personalities
- Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas lived at Bilignin near Belley through much of WW2.[9] Stein wrote 'Wars I have seen' as a diaristic account of that time.
- French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was born and lived in Belley and served as its mayor for some time.
- French writer Andrée Martinerie (1917–1997) writer winner of the 1961 Prix des Libraires was born in Belley.
See also
References
- "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
- Municipales Belley : ambiance de QG, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 29 July 2021
- Municipales Ain : Belley reste à droite, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 29 July 2021
- Belley (01) : inauguration du Collège Sabine Zlatin, fondatrice de la colonie des enfants d'Izieu, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 29 July 2021
- One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Belley". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 699.
- Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- "Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records" (PDF). Météo-France. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
- Life and Letters: Gertrude Stein's War: The New Yorker
External links
