Autrans () is a former

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 department in the

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 ...

region of south-eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of

Autrans-Méaudre-en-Vercors Autrans-Méaudre-en-Vercors is a commune in the Isère department of southeastern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 and consists of the former communes of Autrans and Méaudre.1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

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- ...

, it hosted the

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not time ...

, cross-country skiing,

Nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first ever Winter Olympics in 1924, while the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup ...

, and the

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fina ...

normal hill events. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Autranais'' or ''Autranaises''. The commune has been awarded one flower by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.

Geography

Autrans is located on the

Vercors Plateau The Vercors Massif is a range in France consisting of rugged plateaus and mountains straddling the '' départements'' of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, from which it is separated by the rivers Dr ...

in the Vercors Regional Natural Park some 10 km west of

and 11 km east of Vinay. Access to the commune is solely by the D106C which branches north from the D106 and passes in a loop through the village then back south to

Méaudre Méaudre () is a former Communes of France, commune in the Isère Departments of France, department in southeastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Autrans-Méaudre-en-Vercors.Google Maps
/ref> The ''Meaudret'' rises in the north of the commune and flows south down the valley through the village and continues south to join the ''Bourne'' at Les Jarrands. Bus line 5120 connects

Lans-en-Vercors Lans-en-Vercors is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population Twin towns Lans-en-Vercors is twinned with: * Saint-Donat, Lanaudière, Quebec, Canada, since 1990 See also *Communes of the Isère department *Par ...

and

Villard-de-Lans Villard-de-Lans (; oc, Lo Vilar de Lanç) is a commune in the Isère department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. The town is also situated in the Vercors Massif. It was the administrative centre of the eponymous ca ...

stops in Autrans village and

Places and hamlets

* L'Achard * Les Ronins * Les Prud'hommes * Villeneuve * Eybertière * Le Bourg du-dessus * Les Eperouses * Le Bourg du dessous * Le Bouchet * Le Truc * Andrevière * Les Gonnets * Les Tranchants * Les Vernes * Les Gaillards * Le Mollaret * Le Tonkin * Les Franques * Payenat * Écharlière Géoportail
IGN

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

The name ''Autrans'' is derived from the name of a village called ''Lans'' (the oldest village on the plateau) and originated from ''oultre-Lans'' meaning "beyond the village of Lans" which, over the course of time, was transformed into Autrans.

History

*The 1968 Olympics in Grenoble (which were the first to be aired on TV) included cross-country skiing, biathlon, ski-jumping (90m ski-jump) and combined Nordic skiing (jumping and cross-country). For many French people the TV images of Nordic skiing at Autrans were a revelation. This would mark the beginning of the development of skiing in France and throughout Europe; *The Grenoble Olympic Winter Games 1968 ski-jumps were part of a long local tradition of ski jumping (first ski competition in 1911). Today jumps of 90 m, 56 m, and 20 m are equipped to be used in winter and in summer for many national and international competitions. There is a viewing platform at the top of the 90 m ramp.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Public services

The commune has the following services: * A

Tourist office A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visi ...

; * A Fire Station; * An Isere General Council road maintenance depot

Twinning

Autrans has twinning associations with: * Lillehammer (Norway) since 1994.

Demography

In 2012 the commune had 1,628 inhabitants.

Economy

Winter Sports

*Alpine ski area: a large field of ''Sure'', a small field of ''Claret'', night skiing, beginner park. *Nordic ski area, cross country skiing, snowshoeing - the French capital of Nordic skiing. *The economy is mainly based on tourism. Tourism in the early 21st century focused primarily on the healthy climate and the station hosted many children who had health problems - especially respiratory.

Agriculture

In the early 1900s there were nearly 130 farms. Today there are 17 farms including 13 dairy farms in Autrans. Milk production is transformed into the ''Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage'' AOC in Col Vert, Brique, Saint Marcellin. Autrans also has cattle farms for meat and farm produce and a pigeon farm to serve the best restaurants. Every year on the 1st weekend in May the operation "Take the key to the fields" can visit the farms on the

and discover their products. There are also Forestry activities.

Culture and Heritage

Architectural Heritage

*A Romanesque church is located on a hill in the centre of the village. Only the bell tower is from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

(12th to 13th centuries), its stone spire dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, the choir and the nave of the building are from 1875.

Archaeological Heritage

Autrans has three sites: a

Motte-and-bailey castle 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 t ...

and two fortified houses at Malatan and La Tour hamlets. Of these three sites nothing remains except mounds and that can be seen today in the landscape. *The Motte du Chateau is located approximately 1 km to the east of Autrans Church on a Moraine. A wattle and daub building existed on the mound in the 11th century. *Malatan is located approximately 300 m south-east of the Motte du Chateau and is an old fortified house probably dating from the 14th century. *The Tower is located approximately 200 m to the north of the hamlet of Andrevières and excavations have identified the remains of a round tower probably dating from the 12th century.

Underground heritage

*The Ture Cave is located near the hamlet of Naves. It is used today for an introduction to caving or the simple discovery of an underground world because it has fairly easy access.

Local life

Sports

The Gève Domain is located 1,300 m above sea level and has an international reputation. Located to the north of the Massif du Vercors, the snow conditions are exceptional. This area is accessible by car and there are free shuttles to all valid ski pass holders for the Autrans ski resort.

Sporting events

*The Foulée blanche (White Stride) event has been held every year since 1979 in January. It is a cross-country skiing race attracting nearly 5,000 participants.

Cultural Events

*The Autrans Internet Meeting is an annual event dedicated to the understanding of the future of the Internet. The event started in 1997 and is held every year in January.

Education

The town has a public kindergarten and a public primary school.Official Academy of Grenoble website
.

Notable people linked to the commune

*Léonce-Émile Durand-Savoyat, former mayor of Autrans, MP and Senator for Isère. *Many natives of Autrans have been members of different French national ski teams and have won many national titles.

References

External links

Autrans official website

Festitrail of Autrans

{{Authority control Venues of the 1968 Winter Olympics Former communes of Isère Olympic biathlon venues Olympic cross-country skiing venues Olympic Nordic combined venues Olympic ski jumping venues Sports venues in Isère Dauphiné