Lake Paladru

The Lake Paladru is a natural Lac (glacial) of the pre the Alps. Today, fifth natural lake of France, it was, before the annexation of the Savoy in 1860, more the natural big lake of France. It is often indicated under the term of Blue Lac by its residents.

Geography

The Lake Paladru is located in the department of Isere and more precisely in the area of the hills miocenes of bas-Dauphinée, called the Cold Grounds , roughly between the towns of Voiron and Tour-du-Pin. It extends according to a North-South axis on 5 300 m, for a width of 950 Mr. It have an average depth of 25 m, with maximum of 35 Mr. Five communes divide the littoral. It is, in the direction of the needles of a watch: Charavines (with the Southern point), the Pine, Paladru (which gave him its name, with the Northern point), Montferrat and Bilieu. The beaches are at the two ends; the side banks have a strong declivity.

The lake is the product of the digging by the glacier of the the Rhone on a deposit Miocène with calcareous predominance of the Bas-Dauphiné. During the withdrawal at the time of the warming würmien, there is 12 000 years, the morainic stopping of Guillermet formed the lake. This origin is perceptible by the presence, at the top of the surrounding hills, of erratic blocks, torn off in the summits meeting of the Alps and given up at altitudes of 800 m during the withdrawal of the glacier. An impressive witness called Pierre Beautiful Sun or Pierre de Libre Sun (6 m length on 4,50 m broad and high of 2 m) is visible above Bilieu. It is necessary to note the shape of trough characteristic of the two contiguous valleys to the Lake Paladru, the valley of Bourbre and the valley of Ainan which shows the common origin of the Three-Valleys.

Its food is done by two brooks: Courbon on the side of Montferrat and Chantabot on the side of the Pine, emissary of the pond of the Fish pond. A contribution by under-lake sources is attested by the important difference between the sum of the entering flows and the outgoing flow. It gives rise to the Fure whose name evokes the violence of the primitive torrent. Fure is thrown after a course of a score of kilometers in the Isere with Tullins, after having crossed Rives, city re-elected with the Moyen-âge for the quality of its swords. The small valley of Fure knew XVIIIe at the beginning of XXe prosperous industrial destiny (steel-works, paper mills). A catch on the surface and a lockage were arranged in 1869 to control the course of Fure in dry season and to allow the exploitation of all these factories.

An archaeological site

the Neolithic site

The banks of the lake were colonized by Neolithic villages towards 2600 to 2500 before JC. The site of the bathers was identified at the beginning of the 20th century at the time of a fall of the level of water. Contrary to the first assumptions, it was not of dwellings palafittes, but about bordering villages, mode of establishment semi-permanent. At that time, the inhabitants moved every 20/25 years on new pieces delivered to the essartage while nature regenerated the old ones. The variable level of water also explains these repeated migrations.

The site of the Bathers, close to Charavines was the subject of a systematic excavation of 1972 with 1986. The site was occupied twice. It was quickly submerged shortly after its abandonment, which allowed a good conservation of the vestiges. The exploitation made it possible to enrich our knowledge on agricultural colonization and the daily life with the Neolithic . A permanent exposure is present at the House of Country of Charavines.

knight-peasants of the year Millet

The archeological site of Colletière is also famous for its country knights.

There exist three sites: Pre of Ars , Large Reeds and Colletière .

It is the site of Colletière which was the subject of systematic excavations. Its foundation is gone back to 1003 by dendrochronology. The three sites will be simultaneously abandoned towards 1035, because of a rise of water the emergence of the civil capacity and surrounding chatelleries (Paladru, Clermont, Virieu) at the same time can evoke a direct passage of a mode of exploitation to the other.

The legend of Ars

In 1116, the Carthusian monks create the monastery of Sylve Bénite (commune of the Pine) to a few kilometers of the lake. A natural son of Frederic Anger Barberousse being convert with the monastery, this last profits from important donation, and enters in conflict with the village of Ars, perhaps a remainder of the preceding littoral colonization. The village is destroyed but one is unaware of when and by whom.

In 1177, the pope Alexandre III confirms the privileges with the Carthusian monk and the possession of Ars. It is this text which reveals us the former destruction of the village because the text prohibits the rebuilding of the burnt vault.

Later the final abandonment of the village was the consequence of a simple progressive rise of the level of the lake.

It is starting from these established facts that will build various legends. Oral traditions, they will be transcribed by Louise Drevet in her Nouvelles and Legends From the Dauphine. Legends of the Lake Paladru (1895).

"The legend of the pèlerin" : a pilgrim runs up against the hostility of the village except for a woman and his daughter who offer hospitality to him. By its curse, a pit opens and absorbs the village in the lake. Only the two hospital women are saved.
"The legend of the Blanche" Lady; : the beautiful countess of Ars accompanied by her young lover will plead the cause of her village near the emperor Frederic Barberousse. This last agrees to save the village provided that the countess marries her nephew. She accepts forced. Of return, the two lovers take a boat to cross the lake. It will never reach other bank.
"The legend of the knight of Ars" : the knight of Ars is chosen by the beautiful Beatrice of Buisse. The lord of Maurienne, gotten rid of, sells his heart with the devil and obtains by revenge engloutissement village.
"The legend of the bell of or" : several versions of a fished bell, turning over to the lake because of awkwardnesses, and leading to the misfortune of the fisherman.

The property of the Lake

It is about a private lake, property of the founded Civil society of the Lake Paladru on June 24th, 1874. This statute is the result of a legal imbroglio and a series of lawsuit extending on all the 19th century. Lately a judgment ruled on the fact that the Civil society of the Lake Paladru is owner only ground, and not of water.

In the beginning, the property of the lake was shared by feudal right between the marquis of Pons-of Tourzel, heir to Clermont, the marquis de Barral, which was mayor of Grenoble, and the Carthusian monks of Sylve Bénite. The inhabitants of the hamlet of Colletière profited from fishing rights agreed by the lord of Clermont.

With the revolution, the Carthusian monks are driven out and their sold real goods, Pons-of-Tourzel emigrate, Barral give up their feudal rights. Consequently, the claims of the communes and the residents run up against the tenant farming renewed by the former owners of return of emigration (Tourzel in 1808) or reconsidering the renouncement of their rights (case of Barral). The State also intervenes in the authorities. Ultimately, the courts recognize the validity of the transactions (beams and sales) passed through the first owners and allow the constitution of the Civil society.

Projects

Project without continuation of the General advice - Year II: draining of the lake by lowering of the threshold of Fure to gain arable lands.
Project without continuation of the Mines Inspectorate - 1849: use of water of the lake to sprinkle the plain of the Beaver during the four summer months. The project required to raise the threshold of Fure, and thus of drowning part of the communes of Paladru and Charavines.
Project carried out: installation of the valley of the Fure.

Literature and Music

Literature

The legends of the lake did not fail to inspire the poets. Here some worms of Miss A. Gardaz:

One day an extreme shock made tremble the hills,

Of bloody vapors drowned the horizon

the stones and water boiled in the gullies

Of the walls and of bones, it was a swirl!

the ground between opened… Soudain an immense lake

Etendit its mirror and its dull silence.

How not to bring them closer to the Victor Hugo of the Orientales

*Une city is not any more and mirror of passed

*Sur its remains extinct extends a frozen lake.

Music

The lake also inspired the type-setter Witkowski, Directeur of the Academy of Lyon, but which was also mayor of Paladru. In 1921, it composed a symphonic poem for piano and orchestra entitled My Lake . Work comprises a prelude, a topic followed by four variations:

*Prélude: Breezes of the morning

*Thème watery

*Bois and Labors *Jeux

*Glas

*Final

Tourism

Tourism around the lake associates the cultural interest with the relaxation and the leisures, in particular in summer period during which many demonstrations are organized. The site is very attended by the resident of Grenoble (Grenoble is at 30 minutes in the car).

The country is labellisé by the Ministry for the culture like Pays of Art and History of the Three Valleys - Lake Paladru.

Hotel trade reinforces its capacities during the season (hotels with restaurants, rooms of hosts, camp-sites) in particular with Charavines and Paladru.

On the sporting level, relaxation or leisures, the range is vast:

the private or municipal beaches are with bathe supervised (only that of Charavines is with access free)
navigation on the lake is controlled by the Civil society of the lake (issue of permit)
Ecoles of veils, water skiing, plunged
Nombreux hikes and VTT around the lake and in the surroundings
Riding schools (commune of the Pine)

The valley of Bourbre (Virieu) and the valley of Ainan (Chirens and Saint-Geoire-in-Valdaine) on each side of the Lake Paladru bring a cultural complement to the site.

Fauna and Flora

Many species of birds nest in the marshes or the reeds of the lake: will hérons, grèbes, martins-fishermen, ducks, teals, scoters, foulques, swans. The marsh of Véronière in the north of the lake is classified protected natural zone. The roselières are also protected, an order of the prefect prohibits any penetration and destruction of the reeds.

The lake conceals a diversified watery fauna: pikes, carps, poles, tenches, shades knights, lake trouts, corégones, let us keep, bleaks, crayfish.

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