Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Osselle cave, 8 km long, extends between the Doubs and Jura departments, with its entrance to Roset-Fluans. Discovered in the 13th century, it has been open to the public since 1504, making it one of the oldest tourist caves in the world, with the cave of Antiparos in Greece. During the French Revolution, it served as a refuge for refractory priests, as evidenced by a clay altar still visible today.

In the 18th century, a dry part of the cave, devoid of limestone concretions, became a place of worldly festivals in which Voltaire would have participated. This area preserves geological traces of the ancient violent currents that shaped the cave. In 1751 the military intendant Moreau de Beaumont built a bridge over an underground river, thus facilitating visits.

The cave is also a major paleontological site, home to the world's largest cave bear necropolis, with 2,000 to 3,000 skeletons dated 50,000 years ago. The first skeleton, discovered in 1826 by William Buckland, was exhibited at the British Museum. Today, the cave houses pipistrells and is visited over 1,300 meters of fitted galleries, with a constant temperature of 13 °C.

Ranked since 1912, the cave was also explored by historian Désiré Monnier in 1823 and 1840, who left drawings of it. In 1967, a new 400-metre gallery was discovered after tunnel drilling. The limestone concretions and geological traces make it a scientific, historical and tourist site.

The visit makes it possible to observe about fifteen rooms with various formations, some of which preserve remains of the 18th century festivals. The cave thus illustrates several epochs, from prehistoric to modern times, while remaining a fragile and protected ecosystem.

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