Aranc () is a commune in the department of Ain in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France.
Geography
Location The commune lies in the Aranc Valley 10 km north-east of Amberieu-en-Bugey and 25 km south-east of Bourg-en-Bresse. It is bordered to the east by the mountains of Ain and Tré Pellay (1016 metres), in the north by the Avocat mountain chain, and in the west by the valley of the Mandorne. The Aranc Valley has an average altitude of 780 metres. A marsh borders the village to the north. The Borrey river has its source in the marsh. The mountains of Aranc (924 metres) creates a natural border to the east. The lowest point of the commune is the hamlet of Moment at 406 metres.
A number of roads can be used to access the commune: the D34 from Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey in the south-west, the D63A from the D63 in the west, the D12 from the north, the D8 from Hauteville-Lompnes in the south-east, and the D102 from Evosges in the south. The D34 and the D102 intersect in the village.Google Maps
Geology The Aranc Valley, like the Hauteville plateau is a syncline of modest size. The origin of the soil is from the Mesozoic period, mainly Late Jurassic for the Aranc Valley and Middle Jurassic for the Madorne Valley. Soils consist of mixed material alternating with layers of Oxfordian type limestone in the middle of the Birmensdorf layer. Meticulous research has discovered fossil bivalves, gastropods, and more rarely ammonites along the outcrop. The Aranc Valley and the Hauteville plateau are generally bordered by numerous cliffs where caves, waterfalls, chasms, and indentations were formed by the action of water with small basins formed by rivers.
The quality of the limestone was exploited in quarries that are near Résinand and a manganese mine was reported at the beginning of the 20th century, but poverty and the difficulty of extracting the ore made the mines uneconomic.
History
Heraldry
Etymology According to Henry Suter and presented on his website, the name is of Burgundian origin derived originally from Aringos, meaning "place of the Aringi", derived from the proper name Aro which is old High German aro giving the Germanic aran meaning "eagle".Names of Places in French-speaking Switzerland, Savoy, and surrounding areas
Anne Marie Vurpas in her book Place Names of Ain is a bit more precise: "Ar is the origin of the name Aranc whose territory is watered by the Borrey and Mandorne: the suffix -ancum was a pre-Latin form" and adds "some toponymists prefer to see an unattested latin man's name of Arincus".Anne-Marie Vurpas, Place Names of Ain, 1999
Further details have been provided in the collective work Tourist and archaeological Resources of the Canton of Hauteville: Aranc, Corlier, Cormaranche-en-Bugey, Hauteville-Lompnes, Lacoux, Longecombe, Prémillieu, Thézillieu / Department of Ain; authors Guy St-Pierre and Jean Dumarest suggest the Celtic Ar, meaning "near to" and Randa, meaning "limit", then the Latin Arena meaning "sand", then the Indo-European Ar meaning "watering place".Guy Saint-Pierre and Jean Dumarest, Tourist and archaeological Resources of the Canton of Hauteville, Association le Dreffia, 1992, 253 pages, , consulted on 12 November 2010 The latter meaning may seem plausible given the presence of a swamp and two rivers which have their sources in the Aranc Valley.
Etymological evolution 1284: Arena 1359: Arens 1492: Arenc 1495: De Arenco 1650: Aran 1665: Haranc 1670: Aranc en Bugey.
Prehistory A piece of protohistoric vase was discovered in the commune and studied by a Mr. Pichon. "The morphological and technological characteristics" date this fragment "between 1700 and 1200 BC".
Middle Ages From 1144, the lords of Rogemont ruled the Aranc Valley. According to the authors this feudal lordship was one of the oldest in the Bugey. The pasturage agreements with the Chartreuse de Meyriat (an ancient Carthusian monastery) in 1116 show that the lordship already existed. Most of village life at that time was governed by the lords of Rogemont and the castle. The Rougemont dynasty spanned five centuries.
16th and 17th centuries 1530: the disappearance of the lordship of Rougemont and purchase of the castle by the Grenaud family 1696: Marquisate of the Grenaud family
18th century 1791 Aranc becomes a canton dependent on the district of Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey and including in the canton the villages and hamlets of: Corlier, Montgriffon, Lacoux, and Chaley
19th century 1802: Aranc is attached to the Canton of Hauteville
Second World War
The passive resistance of the village of Aranc was well-known because it was a rallying point for the Maquis of Ain. The hamlet of Gorges was an important rallying point for the resistance. They had to find a rallying point for the young rebels but also a place that could unite all the factions in the region of Aranc and Corlier. It was during the year 1943 that Colonel Henri Romans-Petit set up his headquarters in the tiny hamlet enclosed by mountains and difficult to access (hence the interest). The senior guerrillas arrived in March 1943. During 1944 German troops entered the village of Aranc and made reprisals against the actions of the resistance, capturing, deporting, and shooting the resistance fighters.
Administration
List of Successive Mayors of ArancList of Mayors of France
From To Name 1988 1995 Denise Oraison 1995 2014 Jean-François Julliard 2014 Present Daniel Mathieu
Hamlets
There are four hamlets in the commune of Aranc: Salagnat in the north Rougemont, in the east Résinand Pézières in the west
Rougemont Rougemont is located behind the Aranc Mountains. It is the most populous of the four hamlets in the commune. It is in this village that the ruins of Rougemont Castle are located.
Etymological evolution 1144: Rubro Monte 1206: Rubeismontis 1213: Rogimonte 1284: Monterubes 1286: Rubesmonte 1301: Rogemont 1536: Rougemont
Buildings The access difficulties between Aranc and Rougemont led to the creation of a clandestine school. In 1868 a formal decision was reached for the establishment of a school. There is also a public laundry near the old cheese factory. The cheese factory was probably built in 1860 - this is where the clandestine school was organised on the first floor. In 1903 the factory recorded a production of 600 Hectolitres of milk but it is not inoperation today.
Résinand This hamlet is enclosed in a depression slightly oriented North South.
Etymological evolution 1670: Tizenan 1746: Résinand
Another etymology: Résimond or LéatitFrance by cantons and communes: Department of Ain, Théodore Ogier, p.161
Buildings Public Laundry: A public laundry exists but is no longer operational Cobbler: next to the laundry Bread oven School: A school was built in 1865 at "Crétêt" and "Chêne". Currently this house has the date 1890 over the door Cheese factory: The first records date back to 1875. 2000 hectolitres of milk were collected in 1903. The cooperative rules were revised in 1924 when 27 members were recorded and 37 in 1918. There remained four dairy farmers in 1990 but today the building is closed.
Les Pézières
A hamlet bordering Résinand and generally included with Résinand. This hamlet appeared under the name of Pessières (spruce forests) in 1873. The road passing through gives access to farms at Gorges and the former hamlets of Colognat and Malaval. The same road continues higher up to the village of Montgriffon.
Buildings Public Laundry: Powered by three fountains, the system still works. Bread oven Church of Pézières: Built in 1830 by Father Miller, the pastor of Oncieu. In 1871 the church had its own parish priest and a location for the cemetery was allocated near the church. In 1874 a parsonage was built. Work was undertaken in 1882 to restore the building. In 1895 the bell tower was built. The parish was active until 1971 when it was joined with the parish of Aranc. The church consists of a nave of three bays and a choir covered with a barrel vault. There are two chapels: one dedicated to St Joseph and the other to the Virgin.
Salagnat
This hamlet is located in the extreme east of the Aranc Valley not far from the Avocat chain. The houses of Salagnat border the highway in the direction of Hauteville-Lompnes. A stream rises in the hamlet before flowing into the Jarine.
Etymological evolution 1492: Siliniaco 1538: Saligniaco
The etymology of this name is not certain but, among other explanations, the name may refer to a person: Sallinius or Silinius as in chartreuse de Sélignac (Simandre-sur-Suran: Siliniacus in 854), the name of a Carthusian monastery occupied from 1202 to the French Revolution.
Population
Amenities Education Aranc has a peri-scholastic daycare centre. A class of Middle Path and maternity jointly with Évosges; a Preparatory Course and an Elementary Course in Aranc.
Associations Some associations exist in the commune with one for the elderly called The Friends of the Mandorne which is headquartered in the town hall in Aranc. The commune also has a choir called The polyphones of the plateau.
Sport Aranc has many mountain bike trails including one of the paths used by the resistance of the Maquis of Ain.
Economy
Employment Today, the village lives mainly on logging and also a little farming. There are still some cultivated fields in the Aranc Valley but this activity is currently experiencing a strong decline. The village is economically dependent on Hauteville-Lompnes and its watershed. However, there are actions to promote tourism, with the presence of an Aranc escape website that offers hiking and tries to promote the natural heritage of the Aranc Valley.
Business During the 18th and 19th centuries there was cultivation of hemp and hemp combers in the Hauteville Valley. There was also stone and wood work. At the entrance of the marsh was a pigsty which is still present today but not used. At the beginning of the century there were still farmers who sent milk daily to the cheese factories at Aranc, Rougemont, and Résinand. Today, the activity of the village is mainly timber with some farmers.
Commerce Aranc has a hotel-restaurant called Aranc-évasion as well as an Australian restaurant based on the village of Résinand.
Heritage Guy Saint-Pierre et Jean Dumarest, Tourist and Archeological riches of the Canton of Hauteville, Association le Dreffia, 1992, 253 p. ()
Sights N.B.: Most of the sights listed below no longer exist.
Footbridge to the vicarage A small footbridge over the Jarine over the swamp on the Corlier road. It is mentioned on the Napoleonic cadastral maps available at the Ain archives. It obviously no longer exists and has been replaced with the Corlier road.Thierry Faure David-Nillet, Lords and Lordships of the Plateau of Hauteville-Lompnes, 2009, 264 pages, , consulted on 17 August 2010
Tumulus The location of this tumulus is not reported on maps. This was a circular mound 50 metres in diameter and 5 to 8 metres high. It was between the stream and the Jarine the path leading to the ruins of the Moulin de Merlet.
Coal There were many places for the manufacture of charcoal, especially at a place called Montreal on the road to Montgriffon.
Lime Kiln Also at Montreal was a lime kiln. Materials for the manufacture of lime were extracted here. In 1920 the ruins of two platforms with the remains of stones and ashes could still be seen. Today, taking the road through Montgriffon passing by Colognat it is possible to clearly discern the place where this industry was practiced.
Saint Paul's Church
The precise dating of the building is made difficult by the variety of its components. In fact, they are from different eras. The oldest part is probably the nave.
The Choir