commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Allier
Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named afte ...
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Geography
At its widest point, the commune is 8 km across, stretching from the
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
department to the Rond des Landes Blanches. It lies in a valley oriented east and west from La Pacaudière to Les Ris, the lowest point in the commune.
Much of the valley is swampy. It is drained by a brook that flows through several ponds. The lowest point in the commune is on the west.
On the south are the edges of the
forest of Tronçais
The Forest of Tronçais (french: Forêt de Tronçais, ) is a national forest comprising in the Allier department of central France. It is managed by the National Forests Office (ONF). Its oaks, planted by Louis XIV's minister Jean-Baptiste C ...
, dominated by several buttes at Rond du Haut du Parc and Puy Aigu, the highest point in the commune at Montaloyer.
On the north, a gentle slope rises to the present town, with its remarkable feudal
motte
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...
''Le Mamelon'', close to the farm called ''La Commanderie''. Northwest of Baignereau, the boundary is the river
Sologne
Sologne (; ) is a natural region in Centre-Val de Loire, France, extending over portions of the departements of Loiret, Loir-et-Cher and Cher. Its area is about . To its north is the river Loire, to its south the river Cher, while the districts ...
.
Beyond the village and to the edge of the commune, a slightly rolling plateau leads to the Verneuil vineyards, of which only a small part are still cultivated.
Economy
In the 1930s, Braize had a half dozen vineyards of 30 to 40 hectares.
Currently, there are about a half dozen farms raising primarily cattle and sheep. Tourist activities include fishing and camping.
Events
The traditional festival of the patron saint, ''La Saint Antoine'', is celebrated January 17. The ''Foire aux ânes'' takes place the last Sunday in August.