Ornans () is a commune in the

Doubs Doubs (, ; ; ) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.department in the

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in eastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. On 1 January 2016 the former commune

Bonnevaux-le-Prieuré Bonnevaux-le-Prieuré () is a former commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the commune Ornans.Arrêté préfectoral
6 November 2015 Ornans is a cultural and tourist centre located in the heart of the first

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

of the

Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ( ) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the French–Swiss border. While the Jura range proper (" folded Jura", ) is located in France and Switzerla ...

in the Loue valley. The town offers tourists a wide range of outdoor activities thanks to the presence of the river and the surrounding cliffs, making it ideal for white-water sports,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...

and

cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

. The birthplace of the painter

Gustave Courbet Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( ; ; ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the ...

, to whom it inspired many paintings including the famous ''

A Burial at Ornans ''A Burial at Ornans'' (, also known as ''A Funeral at Ornans'') is a painting of 1849–50 by Gustave Courbet. It is widely regarded as a major turning point in 19th-century French art. The painting records a funeral in Courbet's birthplace, th ...

'', it is home to a museum dedicated to the man and his works, which welcomes tens of thousands of visitors every year. The town also boasts a rich heritage, with twelve listed or classified historic monuments, numerous private mansions and houses whose facades bathed by the river have earned it the nickname of "Little

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

of Franche-Comté". Ornans is also an economic centre of regional importance, thanks in particular to the presence of an industrial site belonging to the Alstom Transport group, which specialises in the construction of engines for

rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

(including the

TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...

) and city buses, and the Guillin Emballages company.

Personalities

Ornans is the birthplace of the French realist painter,

(1819 - 1877). One of Courbet's most famous paintings is ''

Burial at Ornans ''A Burial at Ornans'' (, also known as ''A Funeral at Ornans'') is a painting of 1849–50 by Gustave Courbet. It is widely regarded as a major turning point in 19th-century French art. The painting records a funeral in Courbet's birthplace, th ...

'', which depicts actual people from the area attending a funeral. The historical building, l'Hôtel de Granvelle, now designated 67 and 77 Rue Pierre Vernier, was the birthplace of Cardinal

Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle (20 August 151721 September 1586), Comte de La Baume Saint Amour, typically known as Cardinal Granvelle in English, was a Burgundian statesman, made a cardinal, who followed his father as a leading minister of th ...

(20 August 1517 - 21 September 1586) who was the main minister responsible for Imperial foreign policy over several decades under

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

(called "Charles Quint" in French), Holy Roman Emperor from 1516 to 1556. His father

Nicholas Perrenot de Granvelle Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle (1486–1550) was a Burgundian politician who served as a close trusted adviser to Emperor Charles V. He was made suzerain of the imperial city of Besançon and held an influential position in the Netherlands. From ...

(1484–1550), also born in Ornans, had been Chancellor of the Empire before him and trusted advisor to Charles V from the time he was elected emperor at 19 years of age. Nicholas (father of 15 children) purchased a building located in the center of the town, and made significant expansions; this became known as L'Hôtel de Granvelle. He groomed his son to assume his advisory position to the Emperor, and to the Pope. In his unique role, and powerful position, it is believed that Antoine was one of the architects of the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

. (i.e. He was charged with addressing the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...

in the name of the emperor (9 January 1543)). "His vast correspondence is an inexhaustible source of information concerning the history of the sixteenth century. It might also be said, writes the celebrated archivist, Gachard, that no minister ever wrote as much as the Cardinal de Granvelle. His correspondence has been edited partly in France by Weiss, "Les papiers d'état de Granvelle" (9 vols., 4to, 1841–52), partly in Belgium, "La correspondence du cardinal Granvelle" (12 vols., 4to, 1878–96), the first three volumes by E. Poullet, the remainder by Ch. Piat." The mathematician and instrument maker

Pierre Vernier Pierre Vernier (; 19 August 1580 at Ornans, Franche-Comté (at that time ruled by the Spanish Habsburgs, now part of France) – 14 September 1637, same location) was a mathematician and instrument inventor. He was the inventor and eponym o ...

, for whom the eponymous scale is named, was also a native of this small town (19 August 1580 -14 September 1637).

The main avenue of Ornans bears his name, Rue Pierre Vernier. Image:0 Ornans - Loue - Quartier de l'église St-Laurent (1).JPG, The

Loue The Loue () is a river of eastern France, a left tributary of the Doubs, which it joins downstream of Dole. It is long. Its source is a karst spring in the Jura mountains near Ouhans, which at least partly receives its water from the Doubs. Th ...

and the neighborhood of Saint-Laurent File:0 Ornans - Quartiers bordant la Loue (1).JPG, House along the River Loue File:Ornans, le Musée Courbet.jpg, The Courbet Museum

Population

The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Ornans proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Ornans absorbed the former commune of Bonnevaux-le-Prieuré in 2016.

References

{{Authority control Communes of Doubs

Personalities

Population

See also

References