Report – It is one of the most visited places in the Jura. Recognized as one of the most beautiful villages in France, Baume-les-Messieurs attracts more and more tourists. Too many?
In Baume-les-Messieurs (Jura),
It is there, set in the middle of a valley. At the bottom of this “reculée” as it is called here, so typical of the Jura. This is Baume-les-Messieurs, one of the 178 “most beautiful villages in France”.
The place cannot leave you indifferent: all around, the verticality of the cliffs is impressive. And, by gaining a little height to climb up to one of the many surrounding viewpoints, the landscape seems even more striking. Many stone houses (limestone), a river, a few roads, forests and… a very well-preserved abbey.
“It was monks who settled here in the 6th century, so it must have been a beautiful place,” smiles Serge Moreau, the mayor of this tiny town. In winter, only 160 inhabitants live there. In fine weather, the number doubles or even triples with the many seasonal rentals and the campsite. Not to mention all the tourists passing through, who come for the beauty of the place but also its cave and the Tufs waterfall, at the bottom of the natural cirque.
“There are hikers all year round all over the area. We welcome around 600,000 people per year, including 400,000 between April and September,” says the elected official, aware of this impressive total for the few streets of(…) - 20minutes
