Baume-les-Messieurs
Encyclopedia
Baume-les-Messieurs is a commune
in the Jura department in Franche-Comté
in eastern France
.
The village lies within the most extensive of the steephead valley
s of the Jura
escarpment
, the Reculée de Baume. It is therefore almost surrounded by limestone
cliffs about 200m high. The River Seille
has its source within the Reculée and flows through the village. A short tributary of the Seille, the River Dard, merges with the Seille at Baume; at the source of the Dard, also within the Reculée, there is a notable series of cave
s.
The village is dominated by the former Baume Abbey
, and in consequence has a significant tourist
trade, though this mainly involves day visitors. Conducted tours both of the abbey and of the Dard caves are offered. The GR 59
long-distance footpath passes through the village.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Jura department in Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
in eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The village lies within the most extensive of the steephead valley
Steephead valley
A steephead valley, steephead or blind valley is a deep, narrow, flat bottomed valley with an abrupt ending. Such valleys arise in limestone or karst landscapes, where a layer of permeable rock lies above an impermeable substrate such as marl...
s of the Jura
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
, the Reculée de Baume. It is therefore almost surrounded by limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cliffs about 200m high. The River Seille
Seille (Saône)
The Seille is a river originating in the Jura mountains in France. It is a left tributary of the Saône, joining it in the commune of La Truchère, in Saône-et-Loire. It is 100 km long....
has its source within the Reculée and flows through the village. A short tributary of the Seille, the River Dard, merges with the Seille at Baume; at the source of the Dard, also within the Reculée, there is a notable series of cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s.
The village is dominated by the former Baume Abbey
Baume Abbey
Baume Abbey, in its village of Baume-les-Messieurs, Jura, France, was founded as a Benedictine abbey not far from the still-travelled Roman road linking Besançon and Lyon. It stands near the source of the Dard in the Jura, France. Around it the picturesque village of Baume-les-Messieurs is...
, and in consequence has a significant tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
trade, though this mainly involves day visitors. Conducted tours both of the abbey and of the Dard caves are offered. The GR 59
GR 59
The GR 59 Grande Randonnée long-distance footpath in France connects two mountain ranges across relatively low-lying terrain. In the north, it begins at Ballon d'Alsace in the Vosges at a height of over 1000m. It loses height rapidly, and runs south-south-west through the département of the...
long-distance footpath passes through the village.
External links
- Tourist information for the upper Seille valley (in French)