La Plaine
Origin of the name La Plaine
The place appears in 1321 as « Planum ». In 1797 it is called « Plan du Rhône ». No explanation has yet been found for this name.[1]
Founding of La Plaine
Who founded La Plaine, a village in the municipality of Dardagny on the right bank of the Rhône at the confluence of the Allondon, is not known. At the river mouth stood a mill of the lordship of Dardagny, in ruins by 1559. In 1797 the place still had only four houses, a paper mill and a trip-hammer forge on a channel of the Allondon. The railway made the village: the station on the Genève-Lyon line, opened in 1858, drew industry, including a chemical plant built in 1860.[1][2]
History of La Plaine
1321. First mention of the place, as « Planum ».[1]
1559. The mill at the mouth of the Allondon, which belongs to the lordship of Dardagny, is in ruins.[1]
1749. After the Treaty of Paris, a ferry links the two banks of the Rhône.[1]
1794. The mill passes into private hands.[1]
1797. The place, called « Plan du Rhône », has four houses, a paper mill and a trip-hammer forge on a channel of the river.[1]
1858. Opening of La Plaine station on the Genève-Lyon line, which encourages industrial development.[1]
1859. A bridge is built over the Rhône.[1]
1860. Construction of the Rhône-Poulenc chemical plant, which employs up to 450 people.[1]
1874. A rural secondary school opens.[1]
1879. A nursery school opens.[1]
1889. Foundation of the Catholic parish of Russin-Dardagny, to which La Plaine belongs. The church of Saints-Pierre-et-Laurent is built in 1890.[1]
1912. The mill is bought by the Moulins agricoles genevois.[1]
1918. The Red Cross sets up a camp for seriously wounded soldiers.[1]
1938. Firmenich & Cie acquires the plant's land and develops a major chemical products factory there.[1]
1945-1946. The army sets up a repatriation camp.[1]
1983. Residential development begins.[1]
Population of La Plaine
Sources and references: [1]
| 1814 | 51 |
| 1843 | 43 |
| 1903 | 284 |
| 1980 | 257 |
| 1990 | 565 |
| 2008 | 653 |
Historic sites in La Plaine
La Plaine station. Station on the Genève-Lyon line opened in 1858, the starting point of the village's industrial development.[1]
Bridge over the Rhône. Bridge built in 1859; before that, from the Treaty of Paris of 1749, a ferry carried people between the two banks.[1]
Industrial site. Chemical plant built in 1860 that employed up to 450 people. Firmenich & Cie acquires its land in 1938 and develops a major chemical products factory there.[1]
Confluence of the Allondon. Mouth of the Allondon on the Rhône, where the mill of the lordship of Dardagny operated. It was in ruins in 1559, passed into private hands in 1794 and was bought in 1912 by the Moulins agricoles genevois.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Plaine, La » (Pierre Flückiger), version du 29.12.2008
- Office fédéral de topographie swisstopo, geo.admin.ch, nom local « La Plaine (GE) - Dardagny »
Other villages near La Plaine
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