Biviers

The village of Biviers lies 10 km from Grenoble on the D1090, at the foot of the Saint-Eynard, on a limestone scree located on the East side of the Chartreuse mountains.

Panoramic view of Belledonne, seen from Biviers.

Towards the South-West, Biviers faces the Belledonne range, in the Grésivaudan section of the Isère River valley. In the North West direction, the village leans against a 450 metres (1,476 ft) tall limestone cliff, above the scree. The cliff is subject to constant erosion and rock slides frequently "blast" during the summer time, with great noise and much dust.^[1]

Mount Blanc can be seen from many places in the village and is only distant 105 kilometres (65 mi).

Biviers can be subdivided in three main sectors.

The upper part of the village is a cliff starting from an elevation of 900 metres (2,953 ft) and culminating at 1,358 metres (4,455 ft).

The middle section - between 500 metres (1,640 ft) and 900 metres (2,953 ft) - is a forest and is a favorite destination of hikers. The slope is steep and averages 20%. This section is very sparsely populated.

The lower section sits on flatter ground and is where most inhabitants live, the lowest point of the village being at 311 metres (1,020 ft).

[edit] History

[edit] Demography

The inhabitants of Biviers are known as Biviérois (pronounced [ˈbivjeRwa] in French).

Demographic changes
1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2005
679	964	1733	2147	2258	2385	2391
Census enumeration : Population without double-counting

[edit] Places and monuments

Montbives is a fortified house, built during the XIV^th century and sitting just below the middle section of the village. It boasts a massive square tower and an impressive kitchen with carved stone pillars.

The château de Serviantin dates back from the XV^th century. The name stems from Abel Servien who was born there in 1593 and who later served as a minister for Louis XIII. Its square tower can be seen from chemin de la Grivelière and is a classified historical monument. ^[2]

The château de Franquières is more recent and dates back from the XVII^th century. It was built between 1601 and 1610 by the Aymon de Franquières family. During the French revolution, the property belonged to the scientist Laurent-Aymon de Franquières who was elected as the first revolutionary mayor of Grenoble in February 1790 but who knew he was seriously ill and thus resigned in favor of Joseph Marie de Barral. When he died the same year, the property went to Anne-Marie Franquières - most probably his sister - and then to the related McCarthy family in 1809 who renovated it in 1836. In 1852 it moved to Baroness of Vignet, then Charles de Vignet who sold it in 1880 to Félix du Bourg whose family owned it till 1924 when it was sold to the Forest-Colcombet. Finally, it was bought in 1959 by the OVE (Oeuvre des Villages d'Enfants).