Bellegarde-sur-Valserine

Geography

Bellegarde is located at the confluence of the Valserine and the Rhône.

At this spot, the water of the two rivers runs underground; it was possible to cross both of them easily. Since the inception of the Génissiat Dam at Injoux-Génissiat, the level of the Rhône was raised several metres and the Perte du Rhône submerged. A smaller, similar feature, the Pertes de la Valserine, on the former border with Lancrans, is still visible.

Bellegarde lies in a valley dominated by the Plateau of Retord on the west and the massif of the Grand Crêt d'Eau and the Vuache on the east. The passage created by the Rhône is the principal access to the area around Gex and the north of Lake Geneva. Since 1 January 2019, Bellegarde belongs to a new commune, with Lancrans and Châtillon-en-Michaille, named Valserhône.

| File:Pertes de la Valserine07 2015-04-12.jpg | | File:Pertes de la Valserine A 18.jpg | | File:Pertes de la Valserine A 04.jpg | | File:Pertes de la Valserine - panoramio (17).jpg | | File: | Write a caption here

Climate

Bellegarde is under the influence of both an oceanic climate (notable precipitations in quantity and frequency) and a warm-summer humid continental climate (cold winters and warm to hot summers).

|Jan record high C = 16.5 |Feb record high C = 20.2 |Mar record high C = 25.4 |Apr record high C = 29.6 |May record high C = 33.8 |Jun record high C = 36.5 |Jul record high C = 38.6 |Aug record high C = 39.5 |Sep record high C = 32.7 |Oct record high C = 28.0 |Nov record high C = 22.9 |Dec record high C = 16.4 |year record high C = 39.5 |Jan record low C = -15.4 |Feb record low C = -17.0 |Mar record low C = -13.7 |Apr record low C = -5.4 |May record low C = -1.4 |Jun record low C = 2.3 |Jul record low C = 5.3 |Aug record low C = 4.7 |Sep record low C = 0.1 |Oct record low C = -5.5 |Nov record low C = -10.3 |Dec record low C = -16.1 |year record low C = -17.0

Transport

Bellegarde station has rail connections to Paris, Lyon, Annemasse, Geneva, Chambéry and several regional destinations. It lies on the Lyon–Geneva railway.

Population

|2006|11497 |2011|11630 |2015|11809 |2022|11101

Twin towns — sister cities

Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is twinned with:

• Italy Saint-Christophe, Aosta Valley, Italy (2000)
• Germany Bretten, Germany (2001)

References

References

1. (December 2024). "Populations de référence 2022". [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques.
2. fr
3. "Normales et records pour Bellegarde (01)". Meteociel.
4. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2123937?geo=COM-01033 Populations légales 2011], INSEE
5. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3293086?geo=COM-01033 Populations légales 2015], INSEE