L'Albenc | |
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 L'Albenc village | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of L'Albenc | |
  L'Albenc  L'Albenc | |
| Coordinates:45°13′33″N5°26′28″E / 45.2258°N 5.4411°E /45.2258; 5.4411 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Isère |
| Arrondissement | Grenoble |
| Canton | Le Sud Grésivaudan |
| Intercommunality | Saint-Marcellin Vercors Isère Communauté |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Albert Buisson[1] |
Area 1 | 9.86 km2 (3.81 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 1,255 |
| • Density | 127/km2 (330/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 38004 /38470 |
| Elevation | 170–415 m (558–1,362 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
L'Albenc (French pronunciation:[lalbɛ̃k]) is acommune in theIsèredepartment in theAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeasternFrance.
The commune lies in a straight line some 25 kilometres west by north-west ofGrenoble, 20 kilometres south-west ofVoiron and 40 kilometres northeast ofRomans-sur-Isere in the lowerGresivaudan valley. The highest point of the commune is at 437 metres overlooking the hamlets ofChapuisière andPierre Brun. The lowest point is on the banks of theIsère at 170 metres. The main peaks in the commune are theMalan (373 metres) just south of the town, Mount Larron (384 metres), and theCôte Belle peaking at 437 metres.[3]
The commune lies on the opposite side of the mountains from Grenoble so can not be reached directly from there. TheA49 autoroute fromSaint-Quentin-sur-Isère in the north-east passes south-west through the eastern part of the commune and continues towardsRomans-sur-Isère in the south-west. There is however no exit to the commune from this autoroute and access is by road D1092 fromVinay in the south-west passing north-east through the town and continuing north by north-east toTullins. The D35 road also goes from the village south-east over a tortuous mountain route eventually joining the D531 road in the south. There are many small roads covering the whole commune which is mixed forest with some farmland. In addition to the town there is the village of Riquetiere in the south on the right bank of theIsère. A railway line passes through the commune from Vinay in the south and passes through a tunnel to exit the commune in the north-east. There is no station in the commune with the nearest station being at Vinay.[4]
The south-western border of the commune is theIsère river although there is a small portion of the commune on the left bank. The Leze stream rises in the north of the commune and passes through the village before turning east to join the Isere. The Fosse des Mortes also flows into the Isere in the north-east of the commune. The Versoud flows into the Isère from the part of the commune on the left bank.[4]
Source:[4]
Places adjacent to L'Albenc | |
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L'Albenc appeared in the forms:Albencium in the 14th century andAlbenco in 1497.
Several theories attempt to explain the origin of the name of this commune. Albenc could be an alteration of the wordAlpenc which is from theAlps whose name came from the 1st century BC and which came from aCeltic or pre-Celtic rootalp designating a height or a mountain. The alternation between B and P is fairly common,Alpenc would then becomeAlbenc. The suffix-enc is ofLigurian origin and designates proximity or membership. So the constructionAlb-enc would literally say "near the mountain".
A second hypothesis refers to theOccitanalbenc meaning "incandescent" or "shining white" from the Latinalbus meaning "white". This would be after the colour of snow which at the time could cover the surrounding mountains or alternatively the sand which is the foundation of the village.[5][6] Most likely the shade of the white poplars (alba in Occitan) on the banks of the Isere.
| Blazon: Gules, a Tau azure with 3 castles embattled tower and door argent masoned in sable 2 and 1, in chief the Arial letters L'ALBENC the same. |
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List of Successive Mayors of L'Albenc[7]
| From | To | Name | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2014 | Albert Buisson | ind. |
| 2014 | 2020 | Ghislaine Zamora | UDI |
| 2020 | 2026 | Albert Buisson |
The inhabitants of the commune are known asAlbinois orAlbinoises in French.[8]
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has been classed as a historical monument since 28 December 1978.[11] Built on a rocky outcrop and exposed on the south side, this 15th-century building, renovated and rebuilt in the 18th century was listed as a historical monument due to its façades and roofs, terraces with their retaining walls, a dining room with a fountain, the cellar-level kitchen, the large living room on the ground floor, and the northwest room. It reflects the architecture used for the construction of these noble houses flanked by corner towers as there are many in Isère. The chateau was built by the Châtelet family in 1578, who were the owners of the fortified chateau of Poliénas, thanks to 60,000gold florins that they received as compensation for the dismantling of that castle ordered byGordes since it posed a threat to the region as it was susceptible to attack by theProtestants. The chateau still belongs to the descendants of this family - the Annoux family.
which is registered as an historical object.[12]The town is accessible by the D1092 road that connects the towns ofRomans-sur-Isère andMoirans. TheA49 autoroute that runs through the commune has an exit near toVinay.
Inter-Urban Transport via theTransisère network from theGeneral Council of Isere gathers together all operators. L'Albenc is also served by the following routes:VIN04: Cognin-les-Gorges ↔ Rovon ↔ St. Gervais ↔ VinayCSA08: Saint-Marcellin ↔ Tullins ↔ La Côte-Saint-AndréMar13: Poliénas ↔ ↔ The Albenc Vinay ↔ Saint-MarcellinVIN08: Chantesse ↔ ↔ The Albenc Vinay5200: Saint-Marcellin ↔ Moirans ↔ GrenobleSJM03: Saint-Gervais ↔ Poliénas ↔ Saint-Jean-de-Moirans
L'Albenc does not have a railway station, so people wishing to join theTER regional rapid transport rail network can go to the following stations:On line No. 61 TER Rhône-Alpes (Grenoble-Valence)- Vinay (4 km from L'Ablenc) - Poliénas (7.5 km from L'Ablenc)
A school provides public primary education in l'Albenc. During the 2009–2010 school year 148 students were enrolled, 52 in kindergarten and 96 primary students. The pupils were divided into six classes. Secondary education is not provided on the communal territory - the nearest College is the Joseph Chassigneux College at Vinay. The commune is part of the Academic District of Grenoble.
The town school is managed by the Inspector-General of theDepartmental Inspectorate of National Education 1, rue Joseph Chanrion atGrenoble.[13]
L'Ablenc has part of its territory classified and protected as aSite of Community Importance(ZNIEFF):
"Dry Grass and rocks of Verdun" - this area covers the town of Albenc and Poliénas. This space is remarkable due to the presence of many protected and endangered orchid species. They were able to develop in soil covered with dried grass after the use of land by traditional single annual mowing orranching.[14]
"Functional area of the Isère River downstream of Meylan" - this area includes all territories of l'Ablenc that border the Isere. Despite water quality undermined by pollution from various industries located along the lower reaches of the Isere, this area has a very rich fauna and flora. This is due to the different ecosystems that can be found along the river, sometimes consisting of wetlands and also dry balmes. In terms of wildlife, the main mammals that can be seen are theSouthwestern water voles andEuropean beavers. As for birds: the family ofherons is well represented with many other birds living in the area such as theEuropean bee-eater, theEurasian penduline tit, etc. In addition, the classification of this area as ZNIEFF type 2 is to better preserve the environment and is part of a broader plan to restore the water quality conducted by the Director of Planning and water management for the Rhône-Mediterranean-Corsica basin.[15]
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