Estrablin () is a
commune in the
Isère
Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.[department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...]
in southeastern
France. Located near
Vienne (7 km) and
Lyon (30 km), Estrablin is attractive for its calm and its rural atmosphere. The name of the town is believed to be derived from the French word defining
aspens
Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus.
Species
These species are called aspens:
*''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, ...
(''tremble''), a species of
poplar trees locally present in large quantities, especially along the rivers.
History
Antiquity
Located near the
Gallo-Roman city of
Vienne, Estrablin was long occupied and exploited by men. Thus, the
Roman times have left many traces. First, it is important to note that in
Roman times, Estrablin, together with
Eyzin-Pinet
Eyzin-Pinet () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in ...
, was the main source of
water supply for the city of
Vienne. Indeed, four of the eleven
aqueducts bringing
water in
Vienne came from the territory of the current commune of Estrablin. Three of these
aqueducts took their water from the
aquifer of the Gère river (two in the hamlet of ''Gemens'', one in the hamlet of ''Gabetière''). The last
aqueducts took its water directly in the Suze stream thanks to a reservoir dam that the Romans had built between the hamlet of ''Malissol'' upstream, and the Gère river, downstream.
The discovery of ancient objects on the territory of Estrablin also attests of a former occupation. Thus, during the development of the D41
Department Road in 1837 was discovered, in the hamlet of ''La Coupe'', an earthenware vase containing more than 1,000
Roman coins dating from the third and fourth centuries. Unfortunately, all of these coins disappeared, probably shared between the workers behind the discovery.
Medieval times and Renaissance
The current commune of Estrablin was born from the union of two catholic
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
: ''Estrablin'' and ''Gemens''. The hamlet of ''Gemens'', thanks to its proximity with
Vienne, experienced great development in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Indeed, various industries settled on the banks of the Gère river: grain mills, beaters hemp, paper factories... We know that in 1452, Louis the Dauphin, future
Louis XI of France
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII.
Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revo ...
, bequeathed the territory of ''Gemens'' (then called ''Gemma'' in
medieval French) to one of his
valets, a man named ''Montaigu''.
Other archives tell us that in 1575, a major paper factory belonging to Jean-Jacques Gabet was operating in ''Gemens'', supplying many printing houses of
Vienne and even
Lyon. From the eighteenth century, the industries of ''Gemens'' gradually disappeared and, in 1721, the parish was removed and attached to that of Estrablin. The
priest of Estrablin then also became
priest of ''Gemens''.
Jean-Jacques Gabet, of whom we mentioned the name earlier, was an important figure of the
Renaissance in Estrablin. Born in
Châtonnay and Judge in the Court of
Vienne, Gabet lived in a large fortified mansion called ''Gabetière'' and located in the parish of Estrablin. Committed support of the
Protestant Reformation, Gabet was a locally prominent
Huguenot involved in the religious wars of the sixteenth century. Having taken an active part in the
Amboise conspiracy, Gabet participated, along with the
Baron des Adrets
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...
, in the siege of
Vienne which led to the first
Protestant sermon in the
Diocese of Vienne
The Archbishopric of Vienne, named after its episcopal seat in Vienne in the Isère département of southern France, was a metropolitan Roman Catholic archdiocese. It is now part of the Archdiocese of Lyon.
History
The legend according to whic ...
(January 1562).
Modern Times
In 1853, Jean Mayoud was appointed mayor of Estrablin and launched a major campaign to improve the few roads and many pathways of the
commune. Some bridges were constructed and several pathways enlarged, gradually turning into roads.
1867 was a milestone for the
commune of Estrablin as it lost a significant part of its territory to the newly established commune of
Pont-Évêque, whose creation was decided by the law of 20 July 1867. The area of Estrablin shifted from 2215 to 2069
hectares. In 1877, the new church was built to replace the old medieval church of which some ruins remain in the cemetery.
Estrablin is connected to the
grid in 1926 and a new town hall, which also houses the local school, was built in 1935.
The economic activity of the
commune changed a lot between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Indeed,
agriculture still occupies an important place in the 1980s when more than 66% of the territory of Estrablin dedicated to this activity. The main productions of the
commune are grains (wheat, corn ...) and cattle. Wine growing used to be a major activity but declined since the 1930s and has now almost completely disappeared. The permanent grasslands are still very widespread (16% of the territory).
Cereal production has been expanding dramatically with the setup, in 1962, of a large grain storage facility in the hamlet of ''La Craz''. Acquired in 1961 by a regional
agricultural cooperative
An agricultural cooperative, also known as a farmers' co-op, is a cooperative in which farmers pool their resources in certain areas of activity.
A broad typology of agricultural cooperatives distinguishes between agricultural service cooperati ...
(known as ''La Dauphinoise''), this particular land was formerly occupied by a candle factory. The previous manufacturing plant, which employed for decades large numbers of workers from the village, was destroyed in 1960 by fire. The current grain storage facilities can contain up to 23,000 tonnes of cereals. Therefore, they are supplied by farmers from various villages of the region and not only by farmers of Estrablin.
The population of the
commune varied significantly over the last two centuries. While there were 1,308 inhabitants in 1881, there were only 967 left in 1962, which means 26% less. This
desertification
Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused by ...
was mainly due to the industrialization of the towns of
Vienne and
Pont-Eveque which required abundant labor.
However, since 1962, the population is increasing and the change observed between 1962 and 1982, from 967 to 2,738 inhabitants, demonstrates a considerable increase in such a short period of time. Recent demographic developments comes largely from the fact that Estrablin tends to become a residential suburb of
Vienne. The rural atmosphere of Estrablin attracts new inhabitants and numerous individual houses were built all over the
commune's territory, mainly in the 1970s and 1980s.
Administration
Mayors
Population
The inhabitants of Estrablin are called ''Estrablinois'' in French.
Gallery
Image:Estrablin.Eglise.1.jpg, The Church
Image:Estrablin.Monument01.jpg, Monument commemorating the death of Estrablin inhabitants during the World Wars
Image:Estrablin.Citerne.2.JPG, 1822 Water supply reservoir in the hamlet of ''Gemens''
Image:Estrablin.Chapelle.jpg, Chapel in the cemetery
Image:Château.Fleurieud'Estrablin.1.jpg, ''Château Guerre''
Image:Domaine.La.Craz.Estrablin.1.jpg, ''Château Doyon'', in the hamlet of ''La Craz''
Image:Aiguebelle.Estrablin.1.jpg, Medieval fortified house in the hamlet of ''Aiguebelle''
Image:Gabetière.Estrablin.001.jpg, ''La Gabetière'', home of Jean-Jacques Gabet
Image:Estrablin.Gère.jpg, The Gere river, near the hamlet of ''La Craz''
See also
*
Communes of the Isère department
The following is a list of the 512 Communes of France, communes in the French Departments of France, department of Isère.
The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (as of 2020):
References
{{authority control
Communes of Isère