Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Column No. 1 is one of eight columns, known as column-posts or Guidon columns, erected in the 19th century at the main crossroads of the lime forest. Aligned from west to east along its central road, they served as geographical landmarks in this massif of 20,493 hectares, the second largest hardwood forest in France after that of Orleans. Today, there are only seven remaining, as pillar 7 has disappeared. These columns have been listed as historical monuments since 2013.

The Chaux Forest, located east of Dole in the Jura and Doubs departments, is a federal massif managed by the NFB. Its history is marked by ancient human activities, such as logging for the royal saline of Arc-et-Senans (1775) or the glass factory of La Vieille-Loye (1295–1931). The collumstones symbolize the spatial organization of this forest, once populated by coalwood, blacksmiths and bark washers, whose presence is attested from the thirteenth century.

The massif, classified as Natura 2000 and ZNIEFF, is home to remarkable biodiversity, with streams, marshy alders and pedunculate oaks. The hill-blocks, such as Belmont, bear witness to 19th-century forest management, when the forest was cut into 1,330 roads and plots. Their preservation illustrates the heritage importance of this site, both natural and historical.

The lime forest, with its varied landscapes and industrial past, is also a place of cultural memory. She inspired writers such as Bernard Clavel and Jean-Louis Foncine, and served as a setting for films such as La Ligne de démarche (1966). The columns, discreet but emblematic elements, recall this multi-series history.

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