Tourist attractions Ronchamp

Rebuilt for the third time in 1955, this concrete chapel owes its pure, simple lines to Le Corbusier. The architect broke with his usual inflexible designs to create a more sculptural feel. Inside, one is immediately struck by the ethereal quality of..

The Ballon de Servance , located a few miles west of the Ballon d'Alsace , is 1 216m high. The River Ognon has its turbulent beginnings here. The easiest way to differentiate between the two Ballons is by looking at the peaks: a Virgin Mary stands ..

This pharaonic lion, which takes its inspiration from Egyptian statues and is set against the rock below the barracks built by General Haxo, was sculpted by Bartholdi between 1875 and 1880 and erected on the site piece by piece. Carved from red Vosge..

Dominating the Old Town, the imposing Vosges red sandstone castle was built in the 12th C but has been renovated several times, including by Vauban in the 17th C, then by Generals Lecourbe and Haxo . From its terrace, there is a wonderful view over ..

The Plateau des Mille Étangs, named after the multitude of small lakes formed here by glaciers, is surrounded by the Vallée de l'Ognon and the Vallée du Breuchin. The forests, secret paths and peat bogs still have a magical aura and are the setting f..

Maurice Jardot was linked with the famous art merchant Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler. His collection is of course exceptional and he left 110 paintings by modern artists such as Picasso, Léger and Braque to the town of Belfort. A must-see collection.

Belfort broke beyond its walls in the late 19th C. The old austere buildings of the garrison town have pretty façades with bare stone walls showing blue-green Colmar ash, rosewood and Albi ochre.

Erected by Vauban in 1687, this gate has a large columned pediment. Marked with Louis XIV's coat of arms (a Sun with the motto «Nec pluribus impar» above), the gate shows the double ring of fortifications designed by Vauban.

Via a winding forest road, you reach the Fort du Salbert. Its terrace (200 metres to the left) offers a wonderful panoramic view of Belfort, the Swiss Alps and the Ballon d'Alsace (car park near the radio tower).

Paintings (Gustave Doré, Maximilien Luce, Dürer), sculptures, photographs, Gallo-Roman and Merovingian archaeological finds, recent military history including the fortifications of Vauban and the resistance of Colonel Denfert-Rochereau make up the co..

There is a path running around the Forges pond, with the Tour de la Miotte standing above it. Among the reed marsh by the water's edge, there is a board describing the area's ecosystem and its inhabitant grebes, coots and others.

Painted on the walls of a U-shaped building, this immense mural by Ernest Pignon-Ernest shows 47 men and women representing the worlds of science and the arts, including Goethe, Einstein, Rimbaud, and Picasso.

These pedestrianised and shopping quartiers are modern and bustling places developed in the '70s on the right bank of the Savoureuse, between Les 4 As and Faubourg de France.

This work by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), who created the famous Statue of Liberty, represents the town of Belfort with its three great defenders - Legrand, who defended it in 1814, Lecourbe, in 1815 and Denfert-Rochereau, in 1870. It stan..

The salle Kléber on the ground floor is typical of this classical town hall. On the first floor, in the Salle d'Honneur, tables relate the greatest hours of local history.

This statue, erected in 1884 by Mercié, commemorates the siege of 1870-1871 where Colonel Denfert-Rochereau was victorious.

Built in the 18C, the cathedral has a harmonious style inside and out. The gilded ironwork gate around the chancel is especially noteworthy (it was inspired by the place Stanislas in Nancy), as is the organ, with its gilded wood case.

The current great fountain standing in the middle of this square dates back to 1860.

These paths offer panoramic views of the Vosges. From one, a pigeon loft contains some examples of messages sent by carrier pigeons. Beyond that, you will reach the Fort de la Miotte , the scene of many military encounters between 1724 and 1940.