La Balme-les-Grottes | |
|---|---|
.JPG) TheLavoir (Public laundry) | |
_38.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of La Balme-les-Grottes | |
  La Balme-les-Grottes  La Balme-les-Grottes | |
| Coordinates:45°51′12″N5°20′13″E / 45.8533°N 5.3369°E /45.8533; 5.3369 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Isère |
| Arrondissement | La Tour-du-Pin |
| Canton | Morestel |
| Intercommunality | Les Balcons du Dauphiné |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Jean-Pierre Berthelot[1] |
Area 1 | 14.61 km2 (5.64 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 1,157 |
| • Density | 79.19/km2 (205.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 38026 /38390 |
| Elevation | 192–383 m (630–1,257 ft) (avg. 210 m or 690 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
La Balme-les-Grottes (French pronunciation:[labalmleɡʁɔt]) is acommune in theIsèredepartment in theAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-easternFrance.
La Balme-des-Grottes is located some 32 km east by north-east ofLyon and 11 km south ofAmbérieu-en-Bugey on the right bank of theRhône. The Rhône also forms the departmental border betweenIsère andAin. Access to the commune is by the D65 road fromLeyrieu in the south which passes through the length of the commune and the village and continues north to join the D1075 west ofVertrieu. The D52B branches from the D65 in the commune and goes south toSaint-Baudille-de-la-Tour. The D52C also branches from the D65 at the same intersection and goes south-east toCharette. The commune is mixed forest and farmland with dense forests in the north-east.[3]
TheRhône river forms the entire western border of the commune with no crossing points anywhere in the commune. The commune is covered by a network of canals linked to the Rhône and theRuisseau de Laye which is a minor loop of the Rhône.[3]
Source:[3]
Places adjacent to La Balme-les-Grottes | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Neanderthal men from theMiddle Paleolithic period left flint tools and food scraps in the La Balme caves. Around 15000/13000 BC, in the lateUpper Paleolithic,Cro-Magnon hunters did the same in the shelter of the cave: flints and bones ofreindeer,ibex,aurochs, andhorses have been found.
From about 4000 BC,Neolithic farmers colonised the region leaving their polished axes, flints, and pots in Louvaresse and Travers. Collective graves and vases have also been found in the cave from that time. It was especially at the end of theBronze Age that they left very important remains (1250-950 BC): numerous tombs with cremation urns and animal offerings have been found in crevices and under boulders in a large part of the cave. It is an underground necropolis of theUrnfield culture notable for its wealth of ceramic vases.[4]
Part of the archaeological material from all eras is displayed in the Heritage House atHières-sur-Amby where it was sent in 1985 by the excavators.
| The official status of the blazon remains to be determined. Blazon: |
 |
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2014 | Didier Chapit |
| 2014 | 2020 | Martine Gabeure |
| 2020 | 2026 | Jean-Pierre Berthelot |
The inhabitants of the commune are known asBalmolans orBalmolanes in French.[6]
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE[8] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The commune has many buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments:
[10][11][12] The remaining buildings of the formerCarthusian monastery of Salette. The facades and roofs of the chateau are from the 19th century. In October 1299 DauphinHumbert I of Viennois founded a monastery for women of which three buildings remain. During theFrench Revolution the monastery was sold and is home for some time to an earthenware factory. The chateau was built around 1870-1880 and preserves some decorations from that time.[13][14][15][16][17][18]The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
[19][20][21][22][23][24][25] The Chapel contains a large number of items that are registered as historical objects.[25][26] The Church contains a large number of items that are registered as historical objects.[26].JPG)
[27][28][29]
