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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The hill-points of the lime forest, also known as the handlebar columns, were erected in 1826 by the Waters and Forests to mark the boundaries of the 16 triage of the forest, a system established in 1669 and reorganized in 1776 to supply the royal saline of Arc-et-Senans. These eight doric columns, aligned from west to east along the central road, also served as orientation points for travellers.

Designed by the architect Champonnois the eldest, these columns of 5 meters high were made of local stone (Careers of Courtefontaine and Bévoye) for a total cost of 4,413.12 francs. Their capital bears cardinal inscriptions ("E to O", "O to E") and the names of neighbouring villages. The first column, near Dole, indicates the date of 1826, invalidating the hypothesis of a conception by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux in 1776.

Of the eight original columns, seven remain today. The 7th, deemed dangerous for traffic in 1938, was demolished in 1941 (or dismantled by the Germans during World War II, according to sources). The fifth column, hit by a truck in 2008, was rebuilt in 2011. The ensemble was finally listed as historical monuments on November 5, 2013.

The forest of Chaux, integrated into the royal domain after the conquest of Franche-Comté by Louis XIV, became a major economic issue with the saline of Arc-et-Senans. Yards, bounded by these columns, facilitated forest management and wood harvesting, an essential resource for salt boilers. Their doric style recalls that of the peristyle of saline, stressing the architectural link between these works.

Today, the remaining columns are located at the intersections of several municipalities (Dole, La Loye, Falletans, etc.), with the exception of the 3rd, now in the single territory of Éclans-Nenon since the communal merger of 1973. Their alignment over 19 km along the Grand Contour makes it a rare testimony of 19th century forest and road development.

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