Villars-les-Dombes

Villars-les-Dombes (French pronunciation: [vilaʁ le dɔ̃b] ^ⓘ, literally Villars near Dombes) is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Its people are known as Villardois.

Villars-les-Dombes
Commune
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Villars-les-Dombes
Villars-les-Dombes Show map of France Villars-les-Dombes Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 45°59′56″N 5°01′48″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ain
Arrondissement	Bourg-en-Bresse
Canton	Villars-les-Dombes
Intercommunality	Dombes
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Pierre Larrieu[1]
Area 1	24.63 km2 (9.51 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	5,059
• Density	210/km2 (530/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	01443 /01330
Elevation	263–295 m (863–968 ft) (avg. 279 m or 915 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

The town is located within Ain, half-way between Lyon (33 km) and Bourg-en-Bresse (29 km), in the heart of the area known as the Dombes, notable for its hundreds of lakes which are waterfowl habitats and are suitable for breeding fish. Its ornithological park, Parc des Oiseaux, is the largest in France.

The Chalaronne river forms part of the commune's south-western border, flows northward through the western part of the commune, crosses the town, then forms part of its northern border.

History

The lordship of Villars (of which archival evidence dates from 940) became, by marriage, the lordship of Thoire-et-Vilars in 1188, and in about 1400 its caput was Trévoux (the estate was managed from there). In 1565, Villars was promoted to a marquisate dependent on the house of Savoie (Savoy), a benefice of the Honour of Savoy.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 566 —     1800 381 −5.50% 1806 528 +5.59% 1821 513 −0.19% 1831 588 +1.37% 1836 654 +2.15% 1841 789 +3.82% 1846 1,036 +5.60% 1851 1,153 +2.16% 1856 1,094 −1.05% 1861 1,111 +0.31% 1866 1,304 +3.26% 1872 1,473 +2.05% 1876 1,612 +2.28% 1881 1,535 −0.97% 1886 1,607 +0.92% 1891 1,482 −1.61% 1896 1,426 −0.77%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 1,482 +0.77% 1906 1,524 +0.56% 1911 1,616 +1.18% 1921 1,429 −1.22% 1926 1,370 −0.84% 1931 1,388 +0.26% 1936 1,397 +0.13% 1946 1,358 −0.28% 1954 1,334 −0.22% 1962 1,583 +2.16% 1968 1,842 +2.56% 1975 2,344 +3.50% 1982 2,796 +2.55% 1990 3,415 +2.53% 1999 4,190 +2.30% 2007 4,317 +0.37% 2012 4,430 +0.52% 2017 4,795 +1.60%
Source: EHESS[3] and INSEE (1968-2017)[4]

See also

• Dombes
• Communes of the Ain department