The Roman road from Moirans

Toys are testaments to the transition from a domestic economy to a market economy. During the mid-19th century, toys were just one of the many wood-turning products. The toy industry was in full expansion with the development of machinery, energy sources and commercial networks. During the 20th century, while the hand-crafted production method was still widely used, the industrialisation of toys truly started in the period between the wars, particularly with the specialisation and autonomisation of businesses. The toy sector came to reflect the transformation of industrial and commercial rationales: the generalisation of plastic materials, the acceleration of technological innovation, strong marketing growth, etc. 

The transition from a “family” economy to a market economy has led to a nuanced industrial landscape in which workshop farms, crafts buildings, cooperative factories and large modern production sites that are increasingly disconnected from local specificities are all present.

Surrounded by the boxwood and bushes of Bois de la Refrèche, the landscape looks out over the waters of the Vouglans lake.

Built on the Ain, at 130 metres high, the Vouglans dam is the French dam with the 3rd highest storage capacity: it is capable of holding around 600 million cubic metres of water, and with 1600 hectares of water surface, it makes the Vouglans lake one of the largest artificial lakes in France. It took a year and a half to fill with water and it deeply changed the physiognomy of the Ain’s embankments, swallowing up several hamlets as well as the Chartreuse de Vaucluse, the first Carthusian monastery in the Jura (12th century).

We don’t know much about this straight “Roman” path. From Villard D’Héria, a village to the south of Moirans-en-Montagne, where the remains of a temple and of a cult and thermal complex can be found in one of the most remarkable Gallo-Roman sites of southern Franche-Comté, since the 2nd century, the main axis of this path runs from the Le Gouillat hamlet in the municipality of Charchilla, to the Sous la Razée hamlet in the municipality of Maisod. From there, a path branches off towards a set of inhabited areas, around and on Mont River, another Gallo-Roman site near Champagnole. A second path crosses over the Ain and joins up with the other North-South roads towards Salins, Besançon or Lons-le-Saunier. This ford was replaced by a bridge during the 13th century, which was often destroyed but always rebuilt up until the Pont de la Pyle which currently bridges the gap over the Vouglans lake.

Called a “crow-stepped gable” or a “corbie gable”, stepped gables were used to prevent a fire spreading from one attached house to another. Positioning slates flat prevented the infiltration of water (with water being sent away from the facade). In the countryside, this roof specificity is also typical in Bugey and Vercors (PNRHJ - Collection patrimoine, “Heritage collection).

Here, on either side of the Roman road, there are still several characteristic stones. They appear to have served as foundations for crosses or stone gallows. Used by pilgrims and traders headed to Saint-Claude during the Middles Ages up until 1845, this road was also used by famous figures such as Philip the Bold, Charles the Bold, Louis XI, Anne of Birttany, Francis de Sales, Jeanne de Cantal and Lamartine. Saint-Claude’s body was found intact in 1181, several centuries after his death, and ostentation processions took this path towards Lons-le-Saunier and Arbois.  The history of the road and of the Pont de Pyle bridge are discussed in the book “Histoire de Maisod et des territoires voisins” (The History of Maisod and neighbouring regions) written by J.M VUILLEMOT.

Thin soil, good sun exposure, low water-retention capacities and the almost complete absence of soil additives. Yet, dry grasslands are full of biodiversity: Mountain germander, Breckland thyme, laserwort and the military orchid are just some of the flower species that you may glimpse if you take the time to look. But please only use your eyes; over a quarter of protected species in France are from this environment. Drylands are disappearing due to the expansion of bushlands, caused by the abandonment of these lands that are more difficult to farm.

This place owes its name to the many vipers (“couleuvres” in French) that inhabit the now dry marshland close to the hamlet of Coulouvre. Three wood turning companies continue the tradition of manufacturing animal call instruments out of boxwood using traditional methods.

In the village, buildings are organised in “spans”, mainly due to constraints relating to adjoining houses. Thus, each span tied the building to a specific purpose: stables, barns or housing. Wind-break walls (or the advanced position of gable walls, on the main facade) are characteristic of rural houses in the High-Jura. Balconies, which provide a gallery on the main facade and serve to dry wood and crops, are fairly common architectural elements in this area. Rural buildings also demonstrate the strong relation between agricultural activities and craft activities.