Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The huts of hamlet 14 of the forest of Chaux form a former forest hamlet, now ecomuseum, located in the Old Loye in the Jura. This site, which has been listed as a historical monument since 1986, reconstructs a dozen wooden buildings dating from the 1st quarter of the 19th century, illustrating the life of the loggers who exploited this forest, the largest in the Kingdom of France after that of Orleans. These communities, organized in clearings, supplied wood and coal to local industries, such as the glass factory of La Vieille-Loye or the Royal Saline of Arc-et-Senans.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Waters and Forests grouped between 450 and 600 loggers in fifteen hamlets in the forest of Chaux. These workers, specialized in timber, coal, sawmills and ro-ro, played a key role in the regional economy, supplying foundries, forgings and tiles. After World War II, forest life declined, and hamlet 14, the last remaining hamlet, was abandoned in 1961 before being restored in 1990 by local associations, the NFB and communities.

The site also owes its reputation to two Jurassian novels: Marie Bon Pain (1980) by Bernard Clavel and Une fille dans la forêt (1987) by André Besson, which evoke the lives of loggers. These works, coupled with the historical reconstruction of the hamlet, made it a place of memory dedicated to traditional wood trades. The ecomuseum showcases lost know-how, such as coal mining or flotation, while recalling the economic importance of the lime forest, which extends over 20,000 hectares.

Protection of the site in 1986 preserved a unique record of 19th-century forest habitat. The wooden constructions, typical of the clearings, reflect a social and professional organization that is now gone. The hamlet 14, close to the village of La Vieille-Loye, offers a journey through time, illustrating the link between natural resources and the industrial development of Burgundy-Franche-Comté.

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