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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The apiary of the Combe à la Serpent, located in a valley between Corcelles-les-Monts, Dijon and Velars-sur-Ouche, appears for the first time on the Napoleonic cadastral plan of 1812. Built in the 19th century with locally extracted honeycombs and lavas, it follows traditional Burgundy methods: an oblong body covered with a roof on a slope, divided into nine squares on three levels to house the hives, and a central corridor served by a monolithic lintel door. Originally, a second covered part served as a shelter and laboratory for the beekeeper.

La Combe à la Serpent, classified as a nature park in 1974, has a much older history. In the 10th century, the dense forest that covered it was known as haunted by a woman-snake, legendary rock creature and the Ouche Fountain. In the Middle Ages, the monks cleared the site to plant vines, later replaced by orchards and sheep meadows. After the abandonment of the crops, it became wild again before being built into a walking space in the 20th century.

The apiary, registered with the Historical Monuments in 2007, is now protected with its two terraces and their retaining walls. The site, with an area of 333 hectares, also houses cadoles (stone cabanas), an astronomical observatory, and a stele commemorating the crash of a Farman F.140 bomber in 1930, which killed four people. Since 2024, it has also hosted the Golden Coast Rap Festival, combining natural heritage and contemporary culture.

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