Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

Palafitt villages of Lake Chalain à Doucier dans le Jura

Jura

Palafitt villages of Lake Chalain

    D27
    39130 Doucier
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Villages palafittes du lac de Chalain
Crédit photo : Arnaud 25 - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Néolithique
Âge du Bronze
Âge du Fer
Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
2400 av. J.-C.
2300 av. J.-C.
0
1900
2000
4000 à 750 av. J.-C.
Site occupancy
1911
Historical Monuments
27 juin 2011
UNESCO classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

In the following parts: 1) 30 metres from the shore, at the place called Fontaine-Froide; 2) 50 metres from the shore, at the place called L'Ilot-des-Roseaux; 3) 150 metres from the shore, in front of the island of Grande-Passerelle: classification by order of 22 June 1911; Village Palafitte (Founded: Cad. A4 589, part extending 150 meters off the shore, at the 488NGF, located Lac de Chalain; Marigny : Cad. ZD 30 to 43, 71, 72, 89 to 93, placed Les Vernois; ZC 8, 9, 11 to 13, 15 to 18, 43, 46 to 51, placed La Saire; Cad. ZD 4-20, 115, 137, 138, placedit Under the Crosot; ZA 21, part west bounded by the fence of the beach, the place Aux Fourneaux): inscription by order of 21 December 1992; The Palafittic sites of Lake Chalain located at Doucier, on Parcels Nos. 9, 10, 19, 115 (excluding the road along Parcel ZD 139), 147 and 148, shown in the ZD cadastre, at Marigny, on Parcels Nos. 8, 12, 51, 54, 56, 57, 61, 62, 77, 79, shown in the ZC cadastre, and on Parcels Nos. 30, 32, 33, 35, 37, 39 to 43, 89, 93, 99, 102 to 115, 117 and 118, shown in the ZD cadastre, at Fonten on a part of Parcel No. 679, shown in Cadastre Section A, following the plan annexed to the Order: Order of 11 December 2020

Origin and history

The Palafitte villages of Lake Chalain, located on the west shore of the lake in the Jura Massif, between the communes of Fontenu, Marigny and Doucier, are among 111 prehistoric Palafittic sites classified as UNESCO World Heritage. This archaeological site, occupied between 4000 and 750 BC, covers the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. The remains, remarkably preserved by the lake's sediments, include wooden objects, fabrics, leather and pottery, as well as a 9.35-metre canoe dug in an oak trunk.

Archaeological discoveries, exhibited at the Jura Archaeology Museum in Lons-le-Saunier, reveal a continuous human occupation over several millennia. The site, not accessible to the public, has been protected since 1911 (with additional registration in 1992) and has been listed as a World Heritage Site since 2011. It reflects an advanced social organisation, with stilt houses adapted to a lake environment.

The proximity of the Grand Lac de Clairvaux, also classified, reinforces the historical importance of this Jura region. Both sites illustrate a shared lake culture around the Alps, marked by construction techniques and lifestyles adapted to local resources. The excavations allowed the reconstruction of aspects of daily life, such as handicrafts, agriculture and the trades of the period.

External links