Ambérieux-en-Dombes (, literally ''Ambérieux in

Dombes The Dombes (; Arpitan: Domba) is an area in eastern France, once an independent municipality, formerly part of the province of Burgundy, and now a district comprised in the department of Ain, and bounded on the west by the Saône River, on the ...

'') is a commune in the department of Ain in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of 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 ar ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Ambarrois'' or ''Ambarroises''

Geography

As its name suggests, ''Ambérieux-en-Dombes'' is a part of the

country in Ain. It is located some 10 km east of Villefranche-sur-Saone and 35 km north of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

. There are several access roads to the commune: the D904 comes from Savigneux in the west through the heart of the commune and the town and continues east to Lapeyrouse; the D66 road from Saint-Trivier-sur-Moignans in the north passes through the town and continues south to Saint-Jean-de-Thurigneux; the D660 comes from Rancé in the south-west to the town; and the D82 comes from

Monthieux Monthieux () is a commune in the Ain department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geo ...

in the south-east and continues to Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne in the north-east. All of these roads intersect in or very near the town.Google Maps
/ref> There is a network of country roads covering the commune which is entirely farmland outside the built-up areas. Apart from the town there is the hamlet of La Jonchay to the north-east of the town. There are many ''étangs'' or ponds in the commune, particularly in the east but almost no waterways.

History

The village was known as ''Ambariacum'' in the 6th century and the land belonged to the castles of the first

Burgundian Burgundian can refer to any of the following: *Someone or something from Burgundy. *Burgundians, an East Germanic tribe, who first appear in history in South East Europe. Later Burgundians colonised the area of Gaul that is now known as Burgundy (F ...

kings. On 13 July 1922 a train of the ''Compagnie des Tramways de l'Ain'' returning pilgrims from Ars-sur-Formans derailed between Ambérieux-en-Dombes and Lapeyrouse leaving one dead and several injured.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Ambérieux-en-Dombes

Population

Culture and heritage

Sites and monuments

Une tour du château d'Ambérieux-en-Dombes

*The Chateau of Ambérieux-en-Dombes (15th century) is registered as an historical monument. It was built between 1370 and 1376 (dendrochronological study) during the reign of Humbert V of Thoire and Villars. It is located in the centre of the village today and still has four towers - three square towers 19 metres tall and a round tower of small diameter which served as a prison. The dungeon has been completely restored with the installation of a new roof in 2010.The Castle on the Town Hall website of Ambérieux
/ref> *The War Memorial has the feature of being topped by a rooster. Monument aux morts d'Ambérieux-en-Dombes - 2.JPG, The War Memorial. Château d'Ambérieux-en-Dombes - grille.JPG, Door to the Castle. L'église d'Ambérieux-en-Dombes.JPG, View of the Village Church. File:Château d'Ambérieux-en-Dombes - ruines.JPG, Ruins of the Castle File:Plaque MH tour du château d'Ambérieux-en-Dombes.jpeg, Historical monument plaque on the Chateau

Notable people linked to the commune

*Laurent Capponi (1512-1573), Lord of Ambérieux-en-Dombes *Jean Saint-Cyr (1899-1990), French politician, born in Ambérieux-en-Dombes *

Gundobad Gundobad ( la, Flavius Gundobadus; french: Gondebaud, Gondovald; 452 – 516 AD) was King of the Burgundians (473 – 516), succeeding his father Gundioc of Burgundy. Previous to this, he had been a patrician of the moribund Western Roman Empi ...

, the 6th-century king of the Burgundians, born in the commune