Bellegarde-sur-Valserine (, literally ''Bellegarde on

Valserine The river Valserine () is a tributary of the Rhône that flows for from the Col de la Faucille in the Jura Mountains to its confluence with the Rhône at Bellegarde-sur-Valserine. The Valserine Valley has great charm; it includes the Pont des P ...

''; frp, Bèlagouârda) is a former

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Ain department in the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in Eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In 2019, it had a population of 11,326. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune of

Valserhône Valserhône (; frp, Vâlcerôno) is a commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. It is the result of the merger, on 1 January 2019, of the communes of Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, Châtillon-en-Michaille ...

.Arrêté préfectoral
22 October 2018

Geography

Bellegarde is located at the confluence of the

and the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

. At this spot, the water of the two rivers runs underground; it was possible to cross both of them easily. Since the inception of the

Génissiat Dam The Génissiat Dam ( French: ''Barrage de Génissiat'') is a hydroelectric dam on the Rhône in France near the village of Injoux-Génissiat. Construction began in 1937, but was delayed by World War II, and the dam did not start generating powe ...

at Injoux-Génissiat, the level of the Rhône was raised several metres and the

Perte du Rhône The Perte du Rhône (Loss of the Rhône) is a sixty-metre-deep geologic fault just upstream of Bellegarde-sur-Valserine in France, into which the Rhône River used to disappear during the dry season. It marked the border between Ain and Haute-Sa ...

submerged. A smaller similar feature, the Pertes de la Valserine, on the former border with

Lancrans Lancrans (; frp, Lancrens) is a former commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. In 2017, it had a population of 1,054. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune of Valserhône.

, is still visible. Bellegarde lies in a valley dominated by the Plateau of Retord on the west and the massif of the Grand Crêt d'Eau and the Vuache on the east. The passage created by the Rhône is the principal access to the area around Gex and the north of

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

. Since 1 January 2019, Bellegarde belongs to a new commune, with

and

Châtillon-en-Michaille Châtillon-en-Michaille ( frp, Châtelyon) is a former commune in the Ain department in eastern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune of Valserhône.Valserhône Valserhône (; frp, Vâlcerôno) is a commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. It is the result of the merger, on 1 January 2019, of the communes of Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, Châtillon-en-Michaille ...

Climate

Bellegarde is under the influence of both an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(notable precipitations in quantity and frequency) and a warm-summer humid continental climate (cold winters and warm to hot summers).

Transport

Bellegarde station Bellegarde station ( French: ''Gare de Bellegarde'') is a railway station served by TGV, TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Léman Express located in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, in the département of Ain, France. The first station building opened in ...

has rail connections to Paris, Lyon, Annemasse, Geneva, Chambéry and several regional destinations. It lies on the

Lyon–Geneva railway The Lyon–Geneva railway is an important route in the national rail network. It connects not only Geneva but also feeds the Maurienne railway and the Geneva to Valence via Grenoble line. It carries a variety of traffic: TGV Paris-Geneva, Geneva ...

Population

Twin towns — sister cities

Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is twinned with: *

Saint-Christophe, Aosta Valley Saint-Christophe ( Valdôtain: ) is a town and '' comune'' in the Aosta Valley. It is located east of Aosta, on the left shore of the Dora Baltea. Places of interest The Passerin d'Entrèves castle is located in this commune. The Bridge of G ...

, Italy (2000) *

Bretten Bretten (; South Franconian: ''Bredde'') is a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Geography Bretten lies in the centre of a rectangle that is formed by Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbro ...

, Germany (2001)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellegardesurvalserine Former communes of Ain Bugey Populated places disestablished in 2019