The Vallée de Joux () is a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

of the

Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ( ) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the French–Swiss border. While the Jura range proper (" folded Jura", ) is located in France and Switzerla ...

mainly in the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

Canton of

Vaud Vaud ( ; , ), more formally Canton of Vaud, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of Subdivisions of the canton of Vaud, ten districts; its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat ...

. The valley also continues into

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

( Jura département) at its higher, southwestern, end. Located north of

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

and northwest of

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, its mean elevation is over . There are three Swiss lakes in the ''Vallée de Joux'': the lac de Joux (around long), the lac Brenet and Lake Ter. The French border runs along the northern edge of the valley until, about west of the lac de Joux, the base of the valley becomes French territory. The valley then continues to climb gently towards the

Lac des Rousses Lac des Rousses is a lake in Les Rousses, Jura department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France, close to the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-centr ...

and the ski resort of Les Rousses. The NE-SW orientation, and the altitude combine to make for an especially cold winter climate. Indeed, the valley is sometimes called the Vaud Siberia. The coldest weather arises when the

Bise The Bise (French: ''La Bise'') is a cold, dry wind in Switzerland which blows through the Swiss Plateau from the northeast to the southwest. Cause and effect It is caused by canalisation of the air-current along the northern edge of the Alps, d ...

wind, which comes from the North-East, is blowing. There are three main

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the valley,

le Chenit Le Chenit is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Jura-Nord vaudois District, Jura-Nord Vaudois in the Vallée de Joux. History Le Chenit is first m ...

, le Lieu and

l'Abbaye L'Abbaye is a municipality in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, located in the Jura-Nord Vaudois district in the Vallée de Joux. It takes its name from Lac de Joux Abbey, a Premonstratensian monastery. History L'Abbaye was created as an indep ...

, all part of the Jura-Nord vaudois District. These include ten villages, such as Le Sentier, Le Brassus, Le Lieu and Le Pont. The ''Vallée de Joux'' is, along with

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...

, the birthplace of Swiss

horology Chronometry or horology () is the science studying the measurement of time and timekeeping. Chronometry enables the establishment of standard measurements of time, which have applications in a broad range of social and scientific areas. ''Hor ...

and it is still the home of the most famous Swiss watch factories, like

Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet Holding SA () is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury good, luxury watches, headquartered in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The company was founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux in 1875, acquiring ...

, Blancpain, Breguet, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and

Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre SA, or simply Jaeger-LeCoultre (), is a Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer founded by Antoine LeCoultre in 1833 and is based in Le Sentier, Switzerland. Since 2000, the company has been a fully owned subsidiary ...

Ski area

The Vallée de Joux hosts four

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

s, a common forfeitary offer is available: * Dent de Vaulion (2 ski-lifts); * L'Abbey (4 ski-lifts); * L'Orient (3 ski-lifts); * Le Brassus (2 ski-lifts). Vallée de Joux is the largest ski area in the Swiss Jura.

References

External links

* Valleys of Switzerland Landforms of the canton of Vaud {{vaud-geo-stub

Ski area

Further reading

References

External links