Oyonnax () is the second most populated commune 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 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 ...

. Oyonnax lies in a valley of the

Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ( , , , ; french: Massif du Jura; german: Juragebirge; it, Massiccio del Giura, rm, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the Fre ...

in the far north of Ain. It is near the

Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura (Jura Mountains Regional Natural Park) is a French regional natural park located in the southwest of the Jura Mountain Range in France, on the French-Swiss border. Park description The park was created Fe ...

. The city is on the river

Ange Ange (English: Angel) is a French progressive rock band formed in September 1969 by the Décamps brothers, Francis (keyboards) and Christian (vocals, accordion, acoustic guitar and keyboards). Since its inception the band's music has been insp ...

. Its prominence in the

plastics industry The plastics industry manufactures polymer materials—commonly called plastics—and offers services in plastics important to a range of industries, including packaging, building and construction, electronics, aerospace, and transportation. It is ...

has earned it the name ''Plastics Valley''. One of th
outstanding achievements of the French Résistance
occurred here on 11 November 1943, when the Maquis de l'Ain et du Haut-Jura defied the German occupiers to hold an 11 November parade and memorial service in honor of French soldiers from World War I. The town was awarded the

Médaille de la Résistance The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 ...

on 16 June 1947.

History

Monopoly in wooden comb manufacture

In 630,

Clovis II Clovis II (633 – 657) was King of Neustria and Burgundy, having succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanthild until her ...

, the son of

Dagobert I Dagobert I ( la, Dagobertus; 605/603 – 19 January 639 AD) was the king of Austrasia (623–634), king of all the Franks (629–634), and king of Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dyna ...

king of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...

, travelled to Geneva to meet the king of Burgundy. He met a young slave there, the daughter of a captured Saxon king, and wished to ask for her as his wife. So Dagobert I sent a delegation including Léger d'Autun to ask the king of Burgundy for her hand and bring her back to Paris. Near Oyonnax, at a place called Sous-Nierme, the litter of Léger d'Autun broke and wounded the head of his escort. Inhabitants of Oyonnax cared for him and repaired the vehicle. The delegation set out again with gifts made by the inhabitants of Oyonnax. In recognition, Léger d'Autun, become a bishop and counselor to queen Bathilde, gave the town the privilege of manufacturing wooden combs. Saint-Léger also became the patron saint feast of Oyonnax.

Development

Belonging in the Middle Ages to the lords of Thoire, Oyonnax was then no more than an agricultural village for centuries. (It had 52 inhabitants in 1601). The first development began starting in the 17th century, thanks to its artisans: woodworking and carved horn. The second came with the industrial revolution in the 19th century: Oyonnax became an industrial town, with businesses that sold their goods all over Europe. The railway arrived in 1885.

Transport

The town is served by the A404 autoroute. Oyonnax railway station is located on the railway line between

Montréal-la-Cluse Montréal-la-Cluse () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. It is located in the historical region of Bugey and its inhabitants are known as the ''Montréalais''. Transport The town lies on the Haut Bugey railway line and a b ...

and

Andelot-en-Montagne Andelot-en-Montagne () is a commune in the Jura department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Andelot station has rail connections to Pontarlier, Dole and Saint-Claude. Population See also *Communes of the Jura dep ...

, and is served by trains towards Bourg-en-Bresse.

Tourism

The town has a cultural centre, including cinemas, concert halls, and a "Museum of the Comb and of the Plastics Industry". Tourist activities include

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other act ...

and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...

among the forests, hills and lakes of the area.

Sport

The city has a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

team,

Oyonnax Rugby Union sportive Oyonnax Rugby is a French rugby union club from Oyonnax in the Ain département of the région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, currently playing in Rugby Pro D2, the second division of the country's professional rugby system. They play a ...

, that has been promoted to the Division 1

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

in 2013 and again in 2017. The team plays at the

Stade Charles-Mathon Stade Charles-Mathon is a sports stadium located in Oyonnax, France. It is the home of rugby union side Oyonnax Rugby who play in the Top 14. It was first opened in 1939, and underwent renovations in 1983 and 2005. With the promotion of Oyonnax ...

Population

Twin towns – sister cities

Panneau de jumelage à Oyonnax (Eislingen, Fils)

Oyonnax is twinned with

Eislingen/Fils Eislingen () is a town in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Southern Eislingen (Kleineislingen) became a possession Württemberg in 1492 while Northern Eislingen (Großeislingen) was annexed by the Prince-Bisho ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

since 2001.

Personalities

* Eric Barone (1960-), sportsman, beat the world speed record descending on a bicycle, both on snow and soil. *

Léger-Félicité Sonthonax Léger-Félicité Sonthonax (7 March 1763 – 23 July 1813) was a French abolitionist and Jacobin before joining the Girondist party, which emerged in 1791. During the French Revolution, he controlled 7,000 French troops in Saint-Domingue during ...

(1763–1813), politician and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

Paul Collomb Paul Collomb (8 October 1921 – 6 October 2010) was a French painter and lithographer. A native of Ain, he studied art in Paris before World War II. He won the Premier Second Grand Prix de Rome in 1950. Collomb's work has drawn comparisons t ...

(1921-6 October 2010), painter * Rami Hirbli (1952-2012) Plastics expert