L'Albenc () is a

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

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 the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

region of southeastern

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 ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Albinois'', or ''Albinoises''

Geography

The commune lies in a straight line some 25 kilometres west by north-west of

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

, 20 kilometres south-west of

Voiron Voiron (; frp, Vouèron) is a commune (French municipality) in the ninth district of the Isère department in southeastern France. It is the capital of the canton of Voiron and has been part of the Grenoble-Alpes Métropole since 2010. Voiron i ...

and 40 kilometres northeast of Romans-sur-Isere in the lower Gresivaudan valley. The highest point of the commune is at 437 metres overlooking the hamlets of ''Chapuisière'' and ''Pierre Brun''. The lowest point is on the banks of 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.A49 autoroute The A49 autoroute is a motorway in France. The road provides a connection between Romans ( Valence) with Grenoble. Characteristics * 2x2 lanes * 98 km long History The first section was opened in 1991 between the junction with the A48 tow ...

from

Saint-Quentin-sur-Isère Saint-Quentin-sur-Isère (, literally ''Saint-Quentin on Isère'') is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department *Parc naturel régional du Vercors The Vercors Region ...

in the north-east passes south-west through the eastern part of the commune and continues towards

Romans-sur-Isère Romans-sur-Isère (; Occitan: ''Rumans d'Isèra''; Old Occitan: ''Romans'') is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Geography Romans-sur-Isère is located on the Isère, northeast of Valence. There are more than 50,000 in ...

in the south-west. There is however no exit to the commune from this autoroute and access is by road D1092 from Vinay in the south-west passing north-east through the town and continuing north by north-east to

Tullins Tullins () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Geography The agglomeration of Tullins is situated in forested foothills that flank Chambaran Plateau. At its foot lies the alluvial plain of the Isère, which is the ag ...

. 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 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.Google Maps
/ref> The south-western border of the commune is the Isère 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.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

L'Albenc appeared in the forms: ''Albencium'' in the 14th century and ''Albenco'' in 1497. Several theories attempt to explain the origin of the name of this commune. Albenc could be an alteration of the word ''Alpenc'' which is from the ''Alps'' whose name came from the 1st century BC and which came from a

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

or pre-Celtic root ''alp'' designating a height or a mountain. The alternation between B and P is fairly common, ''Alpenc'' would then become ''Albenc''. The suffix ''-enc'' is of Ligurian origin and designates proximity or membership. So the construction ''Alb-enc'' would literally say "near the mountain". A second hypothesis refers to the

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

''albenc'' meaning "incandescent" or "shining white" from the Latin ''albus'' 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. Most likely the shade of the white poplars (''alba'' in Occitan) on the banks of the Isere.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of L'Albenc

Population

Sites and Monuments

*The Château de l'Alba (or Albe or Montravel) (15th century) has been classed as a historical monument since 28 December 1978. 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 60,000

gold florins The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...

that they received as compensation for the dismantling of that castle ordered by

Gordes Gordes (; oc, Gòrda) is a commune in the Vaucluse département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The residents are known as ''Gordiens.'' The nearest big city is Avignon; smaller cities nearby include Cavaillo ...

since it posed a threat to the region as it was susceptible to attack by the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

s. The chateau still belongs to the descendants of this family - the Annoux family. *The Châteauneuf de l'Albenc was razed in 1578 by the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

s during the

Wars of religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

to subdue this region which had a Protestant majority. There remains today only a few observable traces. *The Chateau of Peccatière was destroyed in the 1970s. *The Old Courthouse *Medieval houses *The Church contains a Bronze Bell (1511) which is registered as an historical object.

Transport

The town is accessible by the D1092 road that connects the towns of

and

Moirans Moirans () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population 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 ...

. The

A49 autoroute The A49 autoroute is a motorway in France. The road provides a connection between Romans ( Valence) with Grenoble. Characteristics * 2x2 lanes * 98 km long History The first section was opened in 1991 between the junction with the A48 tow ...

that runs through the commune has an exit near to Vinay.

Intercommunal Transport

''Inter-Urban Transport'' via the ''Transisère'' network from the ''General Council of Isere'' gathers together all operators. L'Albenc is also served by the following routes: VIN04: Cognin-les-Gorges ↔ Rovon ↔ St. Gervais ↔ Vinay CSA08: Saint-Marcellin ↔ Tullins ↔ La Côte-Saint-André Mar13: Poliénas ↔ ↔ The Albenc Vinay ↔ Saint-Marcellin VIN08: Chantesse ↔ ↔ The Albenc Vinay 5200: Saint-Marcellin ↔ Moirans ↔ Grenoble SJM03: Saint-Gervais ↔ Poliénas ↔ Saint-Jean-de-Moirans

Rail transport

L'Albenc does not have a railway station, so people wishing to join the

TER Ter or TER may refer to: Places * River Ter, in Essex, England * Ter (river), in Catalonia * Ter (department), a region in France * Torre (river), (Slovene: ''Ter''), a river in Italy * Ter, Ljubno, a settlement in the Municipality of Ljubno ob S ...

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)

Education

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 the ''Departmental Inspectorate of National Education'' 1, rue Joseph Chanrion at

Ecosystem

L'Ablenc has part of its territory classified and protected as a

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

( ZNIEFF): ;ZNIEFF type 1: ''"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 or

ranching A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

. ;ZNIEFF type 2 ''"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 the

Southwestern water vole The southwestern water vole or southern water vole (''Arvicola sapidus'') is a large amphibious vole native to most of France and southwestwards through Spain and Portugal. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable. Although historically c ...

s and

European beaver The Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber'') or European beaver is a beaver species that was once widespread in Eurasia, but was hunted to near-extinction for both its fur and castoreum. At the turn of the 20th century, only about 1,200 beavers surviv ...

s. As for birds: the family of

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

s is well represented with many other birds living in the area such as the

European bee-eater The European bee-eater (''Merops apiaster'') is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. Except for the resident southern African populatio ...

, the

Eurasian penduline tit The Eurasian penduline tit or European penduline tit (''Remiz pendulinus'') is a passerine bird of the genus ''Remiz''. It is relatively widespread throughout the western Palearctic. It is migratory in the northern part of its range but resident ...

, 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.DIREN

Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes () was an administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the river Rhône an ...

, ZNIEFF Inventory Update on Rhône-Alpes
Notice No. 3816
/ref>

Notable people linked to the commune

*Jean Vinay (1907-1978), painter *

Jean Gabriel Marchand Jean Gabriel Marchand, 1st Count Marchand (10 December 1765 – 12 November 1851) went from being an attorney to a company commander in the army of the First French Republic in 1791. He fought almost exclusively in Italy throughout the French ...

(10 December 1765 - 12 November 1851), French general of the armies of the Republic and of the Empire.

References

External links

L'Albenc on the old National Geographic Institute website

L'Albenc official website

L'Albenc on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''L'Albenc'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albenc Communes of Isère