Sochaux

Sochaux is a common French, located in the department of the Doubs and the area Franche-Comté.

Its inhabitants is called Sochaliens.

Geography

Sochaux is a city of the east of France, located between the Massif of the Jura and the Massif of the Vosges in what is called the Belfort Gap, passage connecting the Alsace to the Burgundy. This part of the territory has a morphology made up of hills and valleys.

Locally, the choice of the site was limited enough for its founders: in the south, the plain of the Allan is Marécage uses and bordered by the forest of Vouaivre. There thus remains only one place where to settle, it is in the north of the plain, on the foot of the hill “of Lime”.

Economy

City of the east of the France located in the agglomeration of Montbeliard and sits of a major industrial site of the group Automobile PSA Peugeot Citroen founded and directed by the Famille Peugeot, it was a long time the largest industrial site of Europe and accommodates today 18.500 paid, against approximately 40.000 in the Années 1970. Its small size is largely compensated by the reputation of its club of Football, the Football Club Sochaux-Montbeliard, considered for its training center and to have been one of the founders of professionalism in French football.

History

Origin of the city

The origin of the town of Sochaux is in a hamlet of some hearts at the beginning. It is generally allowed that it is of its hill that Sochaux draws its name. Sochaux means “ under lime ”, reference to the Calcaire ( calx in Latin) of this hill. The village will thus carry the names of Under Chaux , Souchal , Souchy and finally Sochaux.

The surrounding villages of Large-Charmont and Old man-Charmont are baptized thus on the same prefix, the L final being transformed into R with the accent of the inhabitants.

There remain nothing the first hovels XIIe and XIIIe century of Sochaux. Little information arrived to us of Sochaux at the Moyen-âge. One finds trace of the village of Souchy only in one official text gone back to 1189 and treating alms which the inhabitants were to pay with the abbey of Belchamp beside Sochaux.

Sochaux is not whereas a community dependant on the counts de Montbéliard Vassal of the Germanic Empire. It will be attached to the France only in 1793 following the French revolution, at the same time as the Pays of Montbeliard .

Industrialization of the city

In 1841, Sochaux launches out in the industrial adventure, 60 years before the construction of the cars of Frederic Rossel and of the brothers Peugeot: Theodore Ienné founds his brewery.

In 1912, the city, of a population of approximately 500 inhabitants, sees the repurchase of the automobile workshops Rossel by Peugeot. It is the beginning of the true development of Sochaux: in twenty years, the population of the city is multiplied by six, in spite of the passage of the First World War. These new inhabitants, mainly of the immigrant workmen, are lodged in several working cities built by the company Peugeot, owner of the grounds.

In 1928, Jean-Pierre Peugeot creates the Football Club Sochaux-Montbeliard (FC Sochaux), as well as the Coupe Peugeot , which will become then the Championnat of France of football.

The Second world war

The German occupation is present at Sochaux, where the automobile workshops are requisitioned to manufacture weaponry. The factory then becomes a target for the Allies, which try to bombard it the July 16th 1943. The wind which moved markings of target was, according to certain witnesses, the cause of the error of bombardment, which destroyed part of the city, killing 125 people, by wounding 500 others… and leaving almost intact the workshops. The German army ends up moving all the material of production and emptied the factory of its machine tools.

In spite of that, the 202 left the assembly lines as of 1945.

The thirty glorious ones

The city continues its expansion after the war, helped by its two industries, the Bière and the Automobile. Many districts will be built on drained Marais. The building of the town hall, sheltering town hall, station, theater and rooms of reception will be built in 1968.

The strikes of May 1968 could not miss in an industrial town like Sochaux. The June 11th, the demonstrators are evacuated factory. The operation will be balanced, with dimensions workman, by two dead and of many casualties.

The river of the Allan is diverted in 1987 - 1988, to allow the extension of the factory Peugeot, until divided there into two by the river.

Places and monuments

Machine Peugeot - Citroen

This industrial site is major for automobile group PSA Peugeot Citroen, and accommodates today 18.500 paid.

The Museum of the Peugeot Adventure

Inaugurated in July 1988 and installed on the site of old the Brewery of Sochaux, the Musée of the Adventure Peugeot already attracted more than one million visitors. This museum makes it possible to follow the adventure of Peugeot, since the manufacture of tools (saws, screwdriver, weapons, coffee mills, leadings for tooth…), to the cars, of the first to most recent, without forgetting the models of race (205 T16, 905, F1, Concept because S…).

The Temple and the Common House ( old town hall )

For the memory of the inhabitants, it is the Temple and the old Town hall which form the heart of the village of Sochaux. Formerly, the temple was the common house and conversely. In fact, it is the lack of post office in Sochaux which is the cause of this upheaval. Sochaux misses money and the construction of a room would cost too much. Then, the Municipal council meets in extraordinary session the June 18th 1905, under the presidency of the Mayor Georges Carray, and decision is made to transform the oratory into a town hall, with the first stages the post office and the housing of the teacher.

The current face of the temple and the common house goes back to 1905: formerly, the old temple comprised a triangular pediment with an eye of ox in its medium. When it is decided to create the Common House, it was added a stage to shelter the room of the municipal council and a balcony out of wrought iron.

Until 1968, the Common House will shelter the town hall and the postal services. This old town hall will be abandoned with the profit of new a building, larger, containing in more the theater of the MALS (House of Arts and Leisures of Sochaux) which is the current town hall.

The house of the prince

The house of the prince is more the hurdy-gurdy masonry of Sochaux; it seems that it dates from the 16th century. It faces the unit old town hall and temple. The origin of this building remains unknown, but it is probable that no prince never placed there. The house seems indeed too small (an easily flooded cellar, a livable part on the 1st floor and roofs under the roof).

It was restored in 1993 and is currently used like place of exposure of the historical heritage and cultural local.

The MALS

The House of Arts and Leisures of Sochaux is a theater dedicated to the performing arts, traditional parts with the concerts, in which international artists occur. This room with Italian of 1.120 places is in the building of the town hall, built in 1968.

The brewery of Sochaux

The brewery of Sochaux is founded between 1841 and 1845, by Theodore Ienne (mayor of Sochaux between 1878 and 1884), on the site of a factory of cotton fabric. The production of this small factory is then sold with the local customers.

It is the son of the founder who gave the kickoff to the expansion and the success of the paternal company. In 1889, after having studied during four years in Germany and Austria the techniques of mixing, it takes the direction of the brewery. Its knowledge brought of the east, the innovations brought like the industrial and scientific manufactoring processes, makes it possible the company to become extensive, and the triple production in 30 years (103 000 hectolitres in 1930). The beer of Sochaux gains a reputation, the factory is a model of modernity.

At that time, the production is been used for the unit of the inhabitants of the area, and the delivery is ensured by cart, drawn by a cavalry from draft horses. The horses will be replaced then by the first electric trucks, and of course the train.

The brewery is not any more one small factory, because in 1930, the brewery of Sochaux gathers several breweries of the surroundings, under the name “the company of the breweries and malts factory of Franche-Comté - Alsace”. This grouping of 6 factories has a production capacity of 570.000 hectolitres. The peak of production of the brewery, for this period, will be reached in 1940, with an exceptional result of 182.000 hectolitres for the only factory of Sochaux.

The brewery stops its production in July 1943, during the bombardment of the city. Only the factory Peugeot at the beginning was aimed, but the dwellings as well as the brewery were seriously touched. 1948 will have to be awaited so that the brewery is raised and started again its activity of it.

It is absorbed in 1962 by another company, absorption which will be followed in 1966 of the creation of the “European Company of Brewery”. The month of May 1968 was particularly exceptional for the site, which had to mitigate the problems of production of other breweries of the group, paralyzed by the strike movement: in spite of the confrontations and the barricades set up in front of the Brewery, the personnel came all the same to work.

In 1972, the brewery started to produce beer for the mark Kanterbrau. In spite of a strong demand of this beer, the brewery closes its doors in July 1979: the site is too small, and is abandoned with the profit of larger factories, therefore more profitable. The chimney of the brewery, which announces the workshops by far, is destroyed the same year. The site and the buildings of the old brewery of Sochaux are now occupied by the Musée of the Adventure Peugeot).

With the beginning of the year 2004 is born " The Claw of the Lion " , artisanal Beer fair of the the Jura. Some see a rebirth of the old brewery there.

Products of the brewery

The brewery produced at the time a beer of table, “ the glass of bier ”, a beer of luxury called “ the Crystal Bohemia ”, a beer of spring, and even a beer of Christmas. Its floret was special “the Norbertus ”. It also sold a lemonade marketed under the name of “ Belfortaine ”, of sodas (“ Vérigoud ” then “ Canada-Dry ”) just as syrups of mouth.

It also should be specified that the Brewery has a factory of ice. This ice is delivered to the coffees, with the private individuals but especially with the factory Peugeot. The Brewery recovers its clean Carbonic gas, conditions it and sells it with the coffees for the pulling of the draft beer.

The draft beer accounted for 30% of the sales, to satisfy the requests, it was conditioned out of wood barrels of various capacities.

Administration

Demography

Population of the city: 4.552 inhabitants, including the double accounts, with the census of 1999
Population of the agglomeration: 117.510 inhabitants (Montbeliard)
Population of the urban surface (Belfort and Montbeliard): approximately 250.000 inhabitants

Personalities related to the commune

See too

Common of Doubs
Peugeot

External bonds

Official site of the town of Sochaux
Site presenting the alive history of the town of Sochaux
Official site of Mals, theater with Sochaux
Site introducing the artists of Sochaux and their works
Site presenting the artistic bottom acquired or given to the town of Sochaux since 1968
Site of the Municipal Office of the Sports of Sochaux
Site of Football Club of Sochaux-Montbeliard
Sochaux on the site of the national geographical Institute

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