Vallée de Joux
Encyclopedia
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
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...
in the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Vaud
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
. Located 20 miles (50 km) north of 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...
and Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, its mean elevation is over 3300 feet (1000 meters). There are three lakes in the Vallée de Joux : the lac de Joux
Lac de Joux
Lac de Joux is a lake in the Vallée de Joux in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland.-External links:* at Le Pont...
(around 6 miles (10 km) long), the lac Brenet
Lac Brenet
Lac Brenet is a lake in the Vallée de Joux, canton of Vaud, Switzerland. It is located north of the Lac de Joux, only 200 meters away. Its elevation of 1002 meters is 2 meters below that of Lac de Joux....
and the lac Ter
Lac Ter
Lac Ter is a small lake at Le Lieu, in the Vallée de Joux of the canton of Vaud, Switzerland....
. The border with 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...
is along the northern part of the valley.
There are three main municipalities
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the valley, Le Chenit
Le Chenit
Le Chenit is a municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the Vallée de Joux.-Geography:...
, Le Lieu
Le Lieu
Le Lieu is a municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois.-History:Le Lieu is first mentioned in 1155 as loco dompni Poncii heremite. In 1408 it was mentioned as le Lieu Poncet...
and L'Abbaye forming the district of La Vallée
La Vallée (district)
La Vallée is a former district of the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, consisting of three municipalities in the Vallée de Joux. The seat of the district was the village of Le Sentier...
. These include ten villages, such as Le Sentier
Le Sentier
Le Sentier is a village in the Vallée de Joux in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Part of the municipality Le Chenit, the village has 3,000 inhabitants....
, Le Brassus
Le Brassus
Le Brassus is a village in the Vallée de Joux in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. It is part of the municipality Le Chenit.-References:...
and Le Pont.
The Vallée de Joux is, along with Neuchâtel
Canton of Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel is a canton of French speaking western Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,782 of which 39,654 were foreigners. The capital is Neuchâtel.-History:...
, the birthplace of Swiss horology
Horology
Horology is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, clepsydras, timers, time recorders and marine chronometers are all examples of instruments used to measure time.People interested in horology are called horologists...
and it is still the home of the most famous Swiss watch factories, like Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet is a manufacturer of prestige Swiss watches which compete with Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin.-Foundation:...
, Blancpain
Blancpain
Blancpain is a luxury Swiss watch manufacturer, founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jaques Blancpain. Blancpain went into bankruptcy and stopped production for a long period but was saved by Jean-Claude Biver, an executive with Omega. Blancpain is owned by the Swatch Group. Since 2002, Marc Hayek, the...
, Patek Philippe & Co.
Patek Philippe & Co.
Patek Philippe & Co. is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer located in Geneva and the Vallée de Joux.-History:Polish watchmaker Antoni Patek started making pocket watches in 1839 in Geneva, along with his fellow Polish migrant Franciszek Czapek. They separated in 1844, and in 1845 Patek joined with...
, Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin is a Swiss manufacture of prestige watches and a brand of the Richemont group. Considered by watch enthusiasts to be one of the finest traditional watch makers in the world along with Patek Philippe & Co., Jaeger-LeCoultre and Audemars Piguet.It employs around 400 people...
, and Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre is a high-end luxury watch and clock manufacturer based in Le Sentier, Vaud, Switzerland. In addition, Jaeger-LeCoultre also has a long tradition of supplying movements and parts to other prestigious watch companies in Switzerland. Since 1996, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a fully...
.
Further reading
- Reymond, Lucien ; Notice sur la vallée du Lac de Joux, 1864 ; Les Charbonnières : Le Pèlerin, 1995.
- Devicque, Julien-Hippolyte and Rochat, Rémy ; Merveilleuse vallée du Lac-de-Joux ; Les Charbonnières : Editions Le Pèlerin, 1992.