Registration for Historic Monuments 13 juin 1991 (≈ 1991)
Official protection of the wash by order.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Fontaine-lavoir (Case AE 60): entry by order of 13 June 1991
Origin and history
The Fountain-Lavoir d'Orchamps is a building located in the commune of Orchamps, in the Jura department (39), in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region. This monument, classified among the Historical Monuments, illustrates the typical utility architecture of the French villages, designed to meet the daily needs of the inhabitants, especially for washing linen and water supply. Its listing in the inventory of Historic Monuments by order of 13 June 1991 bears witness to its heritage importance and its preservation by the municipality, the owner of the place.
The knowledge fountains, like Orchamps, played a central role in the community life of the villages in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They were places of female sociability, where the inhabitants met to wash their laundry while exchanging news. In Jura, a region with a rural and artisanal economy, these water infrastructures were essential, reflecting the collective organisation around natural resources.
Their conservation now allows us to understand the ways of life and social practices of the past.
