Dortan

Dortan is a commune of the Département of Ain and area the Rhone-Alps. The inhabitants are Dortanais.

Geography

The commune of Dortan is located at the north of the department of Ain, at the border with the department of the the Jura.

It belongs to the Regional natural park of the High-Jura.

Hamlets of the commune

Maissiat is located at the foot of a mountain between Oyonnax and Dortan and dominates the valley of the Bienne. The locality is composed of two hamlets: Maissiat of in top and Maissiat of in bottom.

Other hamlets: Uffel, Bonaz, Emondeau.

History

Occupied at the 1st century of our era by the Séquanes, Dortan is évangélisée at the 7th century by the monks of Condate (Saint-Claude). Then, of the 9th century with 1708, more than twenty generations of counts followed one another. The last representative is Jean-François de Dortenc. The village had several seigneureries: Uffelle, Bonaz, Emondeau (today hamlets of the commune) like Mons, Arbent and Veyziat.

During this period, the common one was annexed several times before being allotted to France in 1613 following the Traité of Lyon signed in 1601. Dortan was Savoyard of 1400 with 1600.

The Franco-Spanish war at the 17th century, which put at the catches the Gray (Bugistes) and Cuanais (Comtois) devastated Dortan subjected to plundering and set fire to.

Throughout the 19th century, Dortan was a village where the boxwood was worked, which was worth to him to be high with the row of “capital of the Jeu of failures”.

The 20th century was outstanding for the commune since the village was plundered and set fire to by the Germans in July 1944. Seven people are shot of which the priest of the village and a woman as of on July 12th. Terror continues the following day: three inhabitants of Oyonnax, whose teenager a 15 year old, are killed. Women are violated. On July 20th and 21st, 15 men are stopped and tortured with the castle (a person knowing 13 of the victims will be able two days to identify only one of them later so much the faces and the bodies were mutilated). July 22nd, the Germans gather the population with the castle and set fire to as of 7 a.m. the village which entirely burns. Only the castle, then general headquarter of the German troops, was preserved.

A “provisional city” was built in order to rehouse Dortanais. This one was inaugurated by the president of the Republic of the time Vincent Auriol, at the time of a voyage which it accomplished in Savoy.

Administration

Demography

Sources: INSEE; Cassini

Curiosities

the castle of Dortan is an old fortress built at the 11th century to defend the axis Lyon - Saint-Claude. Jean-François de Dortenc committed several crimes whose principal consequence was the sale of the castle to the secretary and adviser of the king Louis XIV. Then the castle was bought and altered at the 17th century then at the 19th century. The castle of Dortan, with its gardens, is registered on the inventory of the sites and historic buildings since December 30th 1997. It remains a private property.

Places and monuments of Maissiat:

the Pierre-Which-Transfers , located at the top of the mountain dominating the village and which according to the legend “would transfer” every hundred years.
Presence of 3 caves in the mountain: the cave of the counterfeit money , located on the north-eastern side of the mountain, which dominates the village of Uffel; the cave of the maquis ; and the well Vincent , discovered during work for the installation of a water tank.
the cascade, a height of approximately 10 meters, located on Ru downstream from the hamlet.

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