St-Ursanne - Clos du Doubs

The little mediaeval town of St Ursanne is in the heart of the Jura on the River Doubs. Highlights of this romantic place are the monastery with its cloisters and the Romanesque-Gothic collegiate church, whose origins go back to the 12th century. The nature reserve is an Eldorado for walkers and cyclists.
St. Ursanne, along with Delémont and Porrentruy the third historic town in the canton of Jura, has a picturesque, mediaeval appearance, with three beautiful town gates. The historic centre has changed little over the centuries and is specially noted for its merchant’s houses from the 14th to the 16th centuries. The main feature is the former monastery founded by the Benedictine monks, with a Romanesque pillar basilica and cloisters. The south porch of the collegiate church (about 1200), in Burgundy Romanesque style, is one of the most important examples of this style in Switzerland.

The little River Doubs cuts deep into the Jura range, and then at St. Ursanne abruptly changes course to the west by 180°. There is an especially charming view of the romantic little town from the mediaeval bridge over the Doubs.

According to the legend, the holy man Ursicinus – an Irish monk – gave his name to this secluded corner. His hermitage in a cave can be reached by a steep flight of 180 steps. Only with the opening of the railway line, with its many tunnels, from Delémont to Porrentruy (1877) and on into France did St. Ursanne emerge from its long isolation.

Surrounded by a tight bend in the Doubs, an almost uninhabited ridge of hills called the Clos du Doubs, mostly covered in trees and very lonely, rises up to give fantastic views. The panorama extends from Belfort over the Vosges as far as the Freiberg mountains. The natural wilderness of the Clos du Doubs can be reached by footpaths and a mountain bike route that is even suitable for beginners. Many fishermen are drawn to the Doubs. People say that the best river trout are to be found in the Doubs. However, the lush river landscape round the Doubs is also popular with canoeists and kayakers. A very special experience is the four-day walk, nearly 80 km long, from St. Ursanne along the Doubs to Les Brenets or vice versa. Of course, it can also be done in separate day walks. At the end of each stage, post bus routes take you back up from the valley of the Doubs to the Jura plateau.
Highlights
Old Town and monastery – charming mediaeval town on the River Doubs with narrow alleyways, fine buildings and bridges and an imposing Romanesque-Gothic collegiate church with cloisters.
Nature reserve of Clos du Doubs – a mostly wooded ridge (917 m), surrounded by a loop in the River Doubs, with panoramic views over the Vosges as far as the Freiberg mountains.
Old mill at Soubey – the last in a whole series of mills along the Doubs. This restored mill dates from 1565 and still ground the corn from surrounding farms until 1968. It included a sawmill and also generated electricity.
Grottes de Réclère and Préhisto-Parc – impressive caves with stalactites and stalagmites, of European importance, 1.5 km of the cave system can be visited with a guide, and a Dinosaur Park on the evolution of the animal world.
Porrentruy – mediaeval little town dominated by an imposing castle, in the curve of the Jura in the Ajoie region.