Lons-le-Saunier | ||
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Place de la Liberté with the statue of Claude Lecourbe
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Coordinates: 46°40′31″N 5°33′16″E / 46.6753°N 5.5544°ECoordinates: 46°40′31″N 5°33′16″E / 46.6753°N 5.5544°E | ||
Country | France | |
Region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
Department | Jura | |
Arrondissement | Lons-le-Saunier | |
Canton | Lons-le-Saunier-1 and Lons-le-Saunier-2 | |
Intercommunality | Bassin de Lons-le-Saunier | |
Government | ||
• Mayor (2014–2020) | Jacques Pélissard | |
Area1 | 7.68 km2 (2.97 sq mi) | |
Population (2012)2 | 17,353 | |
• Density | 2,300/km2 (5,900/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
INSEE/Postal code | 39300 / 39000 | |
Elevation | 243–415 m (797–1,362 ft) (avg. 255 m or 837 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Lons-le-Saunier (French pronunciation: [lɔ̃s lə sonje]) is a commune and capital of the Jura department in eastern France.
The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the first plateau of the Jura massif. The Jura escarpment extends to the east and south, while to the west lies the plain of Bresse and to the north extensive vineyards.
The River Vallière runs through the town, rising in a typical Jura blind valley not far away, at Revigny. It has been conduited since the 1960s on grounds of hygiene, since sewage outlets run into it. A small section remains in the open air near the parc des Bains, and only a single bridge (the pont de la Guiche) remains.
The town is approximately equally placed between Besançon, Dijon, Bourg-en-Bresse and Geneva, though the last of these lies on the other side of the Jura massif. It is served by the A39 autoroute, by which Dijon can be reached in about an hour and Lyon in an hour and a half. The town's railway station lies on the line from Strasbourg to Lyon.
The wine-growing region to the north of the town is particularly well known, and includes the vintages of l'Etoile, Château-Chalon and Arbois.
The Jura escarpment to the south and east is a popular tourist region, with its attractions including the lakes of Chalain, Clairvaux and Vouglans (at Lect, Jura), and mountain resorts such as Prénovel and Les Rousses.