The Ognon valley, a true history book

Crossed by “a gentle and slow river which flows effortlessly through lush countryside, grassy meadows, fertile lands and vinous hills” (Gollut-16th century), it shelters a remarkable heritage, less by the architectural quality of this or that construction or by the grandeur of one or the other site, only by the homogeneous whole that it constitutes: heritage made up of towns, villages, castles, abbeys, vestiges of the industrial era, small public buildings …flora and fauna specific to the humid environment, the alluvial meadows, the famous alder groves of Ognon.

215 km long, the Ognon has its source at Ballon de Servance in the Vosges and flows into the Saône a little upstream of Pontailler-sur-Saône. Shared between Burgundy and Franche-Comté, the third Comtoise river, after the Doubs and the Saône, with a basin of 2,265 km² runs through four departments: the Côte d’or, the Jura, the Doubs and the Haute-Saône.

“… The Ognon valley, a privileged place where the dialogue between the river and the multiple testimonies left by man is harmoniously expressed … ”

The lower Ognon valley

Bordered by wooded hills, the “low valley” of Ognon alternates fields, bocages, forests, wetlands, and extends to the first reliefs. The villages with their characteristic silhouettes, with their massive Franche-Comté houses grouped around the church with its onion-shaped bell tower, are concentrated along the roads. “Way of the Dukes of Burgundy, connecting the capitals of Burgundy and Franche-Comté”, the discovery of the Ognon valley begins with a visit to Talmay (1) which is located at its mouth, opposite the place where The Ognon flows into the Saône. Its beautiful 18th century castle and its park are the link that unites Burgundy and Franche-Comté.

We leave Burgundy to go up the Ognon valley towards the Jura department. After stopping at the castle of Dammartin (2), built by a family of Franche-Comté parliamentarians, and at Montmirey-la-Ville (3), whose castle park designed by Brice Michel can be visited all year round, we can see the ramparts of Pesmes (4), a city of character and one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, which, like Marnay (14) and Rouge-mont (23), has kept its medieval appearance and is grouped around its castle (5) and the Saint Hilaire church, houses from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries of high quality. Pesmes, with its shops, restaurants, hotel and campsite, invites you to extend your stay. The journey continues either on the left bank with the charming village of Malans and the park of Château Sainte Marie (6) in which the sculptor Andrea Malaer and his guests gave free rein to their imagination, or on the right bank with the terrace and the unique neo-Byzantine chapel in Franche-Comté of the Château de Montrambert (7) which dominates the Ognon valley.

The remarkable parks of the 18th century castle of Sermange (8) and the 18th century castle of Taxenne (9) are the next stages of our journey which continues with the church of the Cistercian abbey of Acey (10), whose community is the only heiress of the 13 monasteries of men founded in Franche-Comté in the 12th century still in activity.

As soon as we enter the Doubs department, we are invited to visit the park of the Château de Jallerange (11), one of these small castles of the presidents and advisors of the parliament of Besançon with its French gardens considered to be the most charming and exact from Franche-Comté, and the castles of Étrabonne (12) and Cordiron (13), from the 13th and 14th centuries, ancient fortified houses of the Ognon valley. Marnay (14) is the next stopover town. A city of character, it has the shops, leisure center and campsite necessary for the continuation of the trip.

The castles of Pin (15), Vregille (17), Boulot (19), in the department of Haute-Saône, are on the right bank of the Ognon. The gardens for some, the lower rooms and the 18th century lounges for others can be visited by appointment.

On the left bank, the Château de Miserey-Salines (18) opens its gardens and chapel by appointment. The Château de Moncley (16), a masterpiece of French neoclassical architecture, is accessible via the Besançon tourist office.

The middle Ognon valley

We enter the middle valley at Voray-sur-l’Ognon. The valley narrows, the landscapes change with a more pronounced forest relief, a more composite vegetation.

The old Bellevaux Abbey (20), built between 1786 and 1788, and the Château de Fondremand (21), with its impressive 14th century keep, welcome visitors to this part of the Ognon valley. Between Rougemont and Montbozon, the Forge de Montagney (22) is an important testimony to the metallurgy of the 18th and 19th centuries which animated the valley. Rougemont (23), another small town of character, is the next stop on the trip with its nearby shops, leisure center and campsite. It leads to Bournel (24), an astonishing neo-Gothic castle, whose parks and gardens are listed as Historic Monuments. On the right bank of the river, the castle of Valleroy (25) – Vallerois-le-Bois -, dating from the 16th century and miraculously saved from ruin, and the priory of Marast (26), of which the church was built in the 12th century, bear witness to the quality of architecture in this part of the valley. The visit to the medieval castle of Oricourt (27) will end the journey proposed by the PHVO association.

The most curious will not fail to continue the journey with a visit to the Ronchamp chapel, an excursion to the land of a thousand ponds, the climb to the Ballon de Servance…