Grandvaux, Malvaux au fil de l'eau

Apparus au Moyen-Age, les moulins ont d'abord eu pour fonction de moudre le grain. Peu à peu, ils furent utilisés pour extraire l'huile, souffler la forge, marteler le fer, scier le bois, tanner les cuirs... L'utilisation de la roue motrice verticale se généralisa, et les systèmes d'engrenages démultiplièrent la puissance et le rendement. Pour fonctionner, les moulins se contentaient désormais du moindre cours d'eau et s'installaient aux abord des plus petites rivières comme içi et comme au long de la Lemme. (PNRHJ - Collection patrimoine)

La lemme et ses affluents ont, à cet endroit, fait l'objet d'un vaste chantier de restauration écologique en 2012 pour permettre au marais du Chatelet de retrouver son rôle de régulateur naturel de cours d'eau. Un panneau d'interprétation explicite les dysfonctionnements hérités des aménagements passés, présente les travaux de restauration et leurs bénéfices, et enfin, quelques espèces de faune et de flore attachées à ce milieu.

Here, the Lemme and its tributaries were subject to major ecological restoration works in 2012 to allow the marsh in Le Chatelet to regain its role as a natural waterway regulator.An interpretive sign explains which malfunctions had appeared due to previous developments, presents which restoration works were carried out and their advantages, and lists a few wildlife and plant species that live in this environment.

Régalez vos yeux de ce joli «saut», une des cascades qui dévalent la Lemme. Longez l’hôtel-restaurant jusqu’au parking pour accéder au point de vue et au panneau d’interprétation (en restant prudent.e avec la circulation automobile). Replongez-vous dans l’histoire du lieu, à l'époque antique des Séquanes, peuple celte, et de l'Empire romain. A la place de l’actuel restaurant se dressait un fort romain qui contrôlait le passage sur la Lemme, par un pont en pierre à huit arches. Observez-bien: on en voit encore les vestiges. Cette voie romaine servait entre autres de route du sel pour le commerce du sel du Jura entre Séquanes et Helvètes, depuis les salines de Lons-le-Saunier, Salins-les-Bains, etc. jusqu’à Saint-Claude et la Suisse.

Posez pied à terre au parking du belvédère et rejoignez le point de vue en 5 minutes à pied. Arrivé au sommet, vous embrassez d’un regard l’immensité bleue et verte qui s’ouvre devant vous. Admirez les 4 lacs, issus de la dernière glaciation, couchés dans leur lit de prairies et forêts… Enchanteur! D’ailleurs, connaissez-vous la légende du lac de Narlay ? Il recouvre, dit-on, l’emplacement d’un village englouti par les eaux. «Un soir de Noël, en vain, une fée implora l'asile pour la nuit auprès de tous les habitants, mais seul le plus pauvre d'entre eux lui offrit un refuge. De colère, le lendemain, la fée noya le village entier, à l'exception de la demeure de son hôte située à l'extrémité du lac. Le nouveau village de Narlay se reconstitua autour de la maison épargnée, mais, tous les ans à Noël, le coq du village englouti chante les douze coups de minuit». Le point rando Une prochaine fois, poursuivez le chemin qui mène au belvédère jusqu’au pic de l’aigle: vous rejoindrez un splendide point de vue à 360° (compter 1h30 aller-retour).

This imposing structure built in 1789, with a gambrel roof, also called a “Mansard” roof, is comprised of two stories of barns and two stories of cellars. Relays had to be able to accommodate a large number of hitches. For the Grandvallier “rollers” (road hauliers), who worked independently or on behalf of “rolling firms”, these relays were vital stop-offs. At the height of the rolling period, during the mid-19th century, rolling firms such as the famous Maison Bouvet established their own relays in major cities.

Departing from the church, the Langouette faerie accompanies you on this trail marked by interpretive signs which will help you to reveal the secrets of the mysterious waterfalls and gorges of the Langouette, and to admire the wild beauty of this canyon carved by the Saine up-close.

Many obstacles, weirs or dams, were long-ago built on the waterways to draw from their hydraulic power. Most of them are no longer used and still hinder the natural transportation of sediments from the river and the movement of fish. Through lack of maintenance, these run a great risk of destabilising neighbouring infrastructures. Knowledge of how waterways work has also significantly improved, encouraging their managers to work towards a more natural operation of waterways, by installing or dismantling unused weirs.

Springing from a source at an altitude of over 1,000 metres, and only after heavy rainfall, the La Ruine forebay waterfall offers a harmonious spectacle that is a mix between the work of Man and the work of nature. The viaduct draws the eyes towards the dance of water on rock, which naturally creeps between the piers of the bridge.

At the start of the 20th century, the Jura mountain comprised 400 kilometres of metric railway lines completing the main general interest lines such as the Andelot-La-Cluse line. On these narrow lines, the “Tacot” carried both goods and people both in the summer and in the winter. The first connection - Lons-Saint-Claude - opened in 1898, Champagnole to Foncine-le-Bas through Planches-en-Montagne in 1924, before closing in 1950. Tacots were beneficiaries until 1927. Later, breakdowns, derailing and delays, as well as the rise of automobiles sealed the fate of the “little train” in 1958 with the closing of the Morez-les Rousses-La Cure line. In fifty years, through their exchanges and their work, tacots marked the memories of Jura inhabitants and contributed towards building a heritage similar to that of the viaducts of the gorges of Malvaux.

Metric tracks were intended to avoid the need for works of art. However, in a rugged region, viaducts were the only way to cross rivers, chasms and precipices. The Clairvaux-Foncine line was in use from 1907 to 1939; its tracks were dismantled under the Occupation.

Dans le secteur de Grandvaux-Malvaux, carrefour de routes importantes entre Saint-Claude, Genève, Lons le Saunier, et Besançon, l’image des rouliers et des voituriers a longtemps symbolisé l'ouverture commerciale du teritoire. A Foncine-le-Bas, cette tradition se manifeste par la présence de la voie du tram, entre Clairvaux-les-Lacs et Foncine, qui a entraîné la construction du viaduc des Douanets et d’une petite gare. Ces infrastructures ont représenté une opportunité pour les entreprises locales dont l'implantation étaient liée à l'utilisation de la force motrice de la Saine qui traverse le village à Foncine-le-Bas.

Lake countries are haunted by many legends: faeries, knights and witches float above their mysterious waters. Several legends serve as the origin of the name “Lac à la Dame” (the Lady’s lake). One legend states that this small lake was dug out by the mysterious knight that wanders over the lakes of Bonlieu, Maclu and Narlay, at the request of a woman he once loved. In exchange for this favour, she would give herself to him body and soul. During foggy weather, you might see the Lady’s long white dress floating over the lake!

Used to air dairy products and a room where milk was stored to cool before being turned into cheese, “larmiers” are narrow and long vertical openings that can be seen on the facades of former cheese dairies like here in Les Monnets.In the hamlet of Coin d’Aval, in the municipality of Fort-du-Plasne, you can visit an old chalet (or cheese dairy).

The need to protect peat bogs is a recent revelation. These fragile environments play an important role in maintaining water quality and in naturally combatting the effects of drought and climate change. Plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air by photosynthesis to form their tissue: leaves, trunk, stems, etc. When they die, they are decomposed by microorganisms in the ground and return the carbon into the air. But in a peat bog, the presence of water prevents decomposing organisms from working, which traps the carbon in the peat. Peat bogs only represent 3% of the surface of emerged land, but they store 30% of the Earth soils’ carbon!

Cotton grass, resembling a cotton bud with a white feathered end, is easily recognisable in peat bogs. Its meter-long roots enable it to store nutritional reserves, as the ground is very low in minerals. It’s a plant that is suited to a northern climate (cold). It was widespread across Europe a few thousand years ago. However, the climate subsequently grew warmer and it only survived in Scandinavian countries and in peat bogs, where no other plant is able to replace it.

The species living in peat bogs have adapted to the omnipresence of water, to few nutritional resources, to the chemical composition of the soil - which, in calcareous regions, can be acid or basic - and to a rather cold climate.  

The tram line you are on was opened in 1907. It passed through Lac des Rouges Truites and linked Clairvaux-les-Lacs to Foncine-le-Haut and served Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux. Like all Jura tram lines, due to lack of profit and competition from the development of bus services and automobiles, it closed in 1938. Will you be able to find the old station in the hamlet of Thévenins on returning to Bugnon?

Here, the peripheries of peat bogs are still grazed on. These wet meadows, which are characterised by the presence of a large amount of water in the soil, are also very rich for biodiversity. Some flowers, such as the bird’s-eye primrose, particularly flourish here. These are also areas of transition between the rest of the valley and the peat bog, and between the lake and the river. They filter water through the soil, eliminating nitrate, which limits the pollution of groundwater. Their presence is therefore vital to properly maintain a peat bog.

The High-Jura is a land of many legends that likes to keep its secrets. Rumour has resulted in four different version relating the origin of the name Lac des Rouges Truites: Poetic: every evening, when the sun sets, trout take on a crimson hue due to the rays’ reflection on the lake. Practical: the trout are salmon trout. Physical: the water is said to contain iron oxide. Military: the lake is said to have been the site of a bloody battle. Every day, night falls over the lake, taking with it the mystery of its name. Schubert anyone?

Spread across 1873 hectares, the Mont Noir massif is one of the largest Jura forests. It is currently made up of dark-leaved trees, such as fir, spruce and beechwood, hence its name. Stags, boar and roe deer live here alongside the lynx and the western capercaillie. Wood exploitation is an important economic activity for our mountains. However, the forest also accommodates hikers wishing to take long works on the waymarked paths, both during summer and winter. Share this area and be careful if you come across forest works.

Inherited from the icebergs which covered the Jura ten thousand years ago and left behind moraines with water-tight bottoms, a peat bog formed from the accumulation of stagnant water full of cold-resistant plants. The moving soil in peat bogs are made up of a thick carpet of peat moss, on which a few well-adjusted plants are able to grow (cranberry, cottongrass, andromeda, drosera, mountain pine, etc.) These fragile environments are of biological interest and must therefore be preserved.

At the start of the 20th century, the Jura mountain was equipped with 400 kilometres of metric railway lines completing the main general interest lines such as the Andelot-La-Cluse line. Winding between the rivers, chasms, precipices and ridges, the tram lines marked the Jura’s history and its landscape with their often-spectacular developments and infrastructures such as the Douanets viaduct in Foncine-le-Bas.