Jura (department)

Jura ( JOOR-ə, ZHOOR-ə; French: [ʒyʁa] ) is a department in the northeastern French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The department takes its name from the Jura Mountains. Its prefecture is Lons-le-Saunier; subprefectures are Dole and Saint-Claude. In 2023, Jura had a population of 257,973. It has a short portion of the border of Switzerland. History Historically, Jura belonged to the Free County of Burgundy, known in French as the Franche-Comté. Dole was the capital until the region was conquered by Louis XIV and the capital was moved to Besançon. Dole is now a sous-préfecture, or sub-prefecture, of Jura. As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the southern two-thirds of Jura spoke a dialect of Arpitan language. It continued to be spoken in rural areas into the 20th century. Jura is one of the original 83 French departments, created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was established from part of the former province of Franche-Comté. The prefecture is Lons-le-Saunier. Demographics Population development since 1801: Principal towns The most populous commune is Dole; the prefecture Lons-le-Saunier is the second-most populous. As of 2023, there are five communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants: Geography Jura is one of eight départements of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region and is surrounded by the French départements of Doubs, Haute-Saône, Côte-d'Or, Saône-et-Loire, and Ain, as well as the Swiss canton of Vaud on the east. The Jura mountains are wooded and rolling, not craggy and rocky like the Alps. Many lakes can be found throughout the Jura, the largest natural lake being Lac de Chalain, measuring 3 km long and 1 km wide. Lac de Vouglans was formed after the building of a hydro-electric dam. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in France. Politics Departmental politics The President of the Departmental Council has been Clément Pernot (miscellaneous right) since 2015. Members of the National Assembly In the 2024 legislative election, Jura elected the following representatives to the National Assembly: Climate The climate of the Jura varies greatly by elevation. The lower valleys are temperate and pleasant, but the high mountain valleys have bitterly cold winters. Economy Jura is a wine-growing region. The Jura wines are very distinctive and unusual wines, such as vin jaune, which is made by a similar process to sherry, developing under a flor of yeast. This is made from the local Savagnin grape variety. Other grape varieties include Poulsard, Trousseau, and Chardonnay. The département contains no industrial cities: the few towns function as administrative and commercial centres serving Jura's rural economy. In the absence of large-scale industrial enterprises, small artisanal businesses play an important role. The Jura CFA (Centre for apprenticeship and training) recently recorded 752 current apprenticeships in trades such as building, baking, butchery, hair dressing, car repairing, sales and other non-factory based occupations. Tourism The Jura mountains provide ample opportunities for hiking, skiing, as well as other winter sports. See also Cantons of the Jura department Communes of the Jura department Arrondissements of the Jura department Jura wine References External links (in French) Prefecture website (in French) Departmental Council website (in French) Tourism website (in English) Tourism information