Cultural Heritage

The Regional Nature Park of the Haut-Jura, in partnership with City Hall and the Visitor Information Center of Bellegarde, envisioned “Un tour en ville” (”A Tour in the City”) to give a better understanding of Bellegarde's diverse heritage and to expand on what it has to offer in terms of culture to visitors.

This project had two goals:
1) to focus visitors' attention on the city itself, as they sometimes overlook its potential,
2) and to highlight Bellegarde's rich heritage in the eyes of its residents by providing more informational literature.

”Un tour en ville” is available in three formats:
• A free leaflet that guides visitors through the city, referencing 21 points of interest indicated on the map.
• A booklet entitled “Bellegarde sur Valserine”, which supplements the Patrimoine/Ville-Porte Collection, published by the Regional Nature Park of the Haut-Jura, provides additional information regarding Bellegarde's history and the architecture of some of its most remarkable buildings. It is available for purchase at the Visitor Information Center.
• Soon, a tour will be available on the audio guides for rent at the Visitor Information Center.

The trail is an easy walk (2 hours round trip) along the banks of the river, from the heart of Bellegarde to the bridge of the Oulles where the waters of the Valserine disappear into the canyons.

At the bottom of a railroad viaduct (Rue Louis Dumont), the trail descends quickly to the level of France's oldest hydroelectric plant (built in 1884) and supplying, among others, the electric ovens of the Amandier biscuit factory.
Along the banks, the booth of the customs officers remind us that the Valserine River was the border between France and Savoy from 1601 to 1760 and from 1815 to 1923. The booth bears witness to the importance of trade with the free zone of Pays de Gex during the 19th century.
From the corbelled construction to the footbridges, the trail goes up the right-bank to the remains of the “télémécanique” power plant that converted hydraulic energy for the Convert flour mill using cables and pulleys.
The trail crosses the river at the Métral Reservoir. It parallels the left bank to the bridge of Oulles, a structure made of massive stone slabs, at the Pertes de la Valserine, spanning the two sections of the river, one flowing and the other a dead-end channel.
• Order the free leaflet "Découvrez les berges de la Valserine" (“Discover the Banks of the Valserine River,” in French only)

Built in 1613, and a listed historic monument, the Borne aux Lions defined the borders of three empires: (1) the Kingdom of France, represented by the fleur-de-lis; (2) the Kingdom of Spain, represented by the Lion of Franche-Comté; and (3) the Dukedom of Savoy, represented by the Cross. From the bridge of Grésin in the town of Léaz to the Borne aux Lions, a passage called "chemin des espagnols" (Trail of the Spanish) made possible the free movement of Spanish and Savoyard armies who were allied at the time.
Today, the Borne aux Lions marks the boundary of three municipalities (Champfromier, Chézery Forens, and La Pesse), two Départments (Ain and Jura), two regions (Rhône-Alpes and Franche-Comté) and 3 federations of municipalities.
This site is also home to a French Resistance Memorial.

Inaugurated in 1913, destroyed by dynamite in 1944 and then authentically reconstructed in 1954, the Pont du Moulin des Pierres (Mill of the Stones Bridge) allowed trolleys to go from Bellegarde to the town of Chézery. The bridge, made of an 80 meter (262 foot) single arch, is 65 meters (213 feet) above the bed of the Valserine. At the time it was the bridge with the largest arch in France and the third in Europe.

Saint-Nicolas Church, in the town of Villes, dates from the 11th and 15th centuries. Built next to a priory, which no longer exists, it was dependent on the Nantua and Cluny Abbeys, which is why it has been listed as a Cluniac site (connected on a familial, spiritual or juridical level with the town and Monestary of Cluny at some point in history) since September 2002. Inside the church you can discover the collar of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, the tombstone of the last prior who died in 1712, a wood crucifix that dates back before 1792, and wooden sculptures made by Jean-Touillier, a local artist, representing the Last Supper and a statue "la Vierge à l'enfant assise" (Seated Madonna and child). To view the inside of the church, contact City Hall.
Near the church is “Le Sully,” a linden tree with an approximate circumference of 20 meters (66 feet) at the base. It dates back to either Sully (a noble Frenchman and minister under Henry IV, 1559-1641), or the 16th century (planted in honor of Margaret of Austria and Philibert II's wedding).

The Mémoire de la Semine Assocation (Memory of the Semine Association) has selected artifacts from the municipal museum and from the Maison du Terroir for display in the Farmers' Museum.
The museum is open in July and August from 2pm to 5pm or upon request by calling: 00 33 450 56 02 47.