Bonlieu is a commune in the Jura, in Burgundy, Franche-Comte, 30 km southeast of Lons-le-Saunier by road.
Its territory ranges from 620 to 1023 m above sea level and is the average mountain, belonging to the natural region of Land of Lakes. The resort covers 13 km² since 1824 and its merger with Bouzailles. Called "Small Chiettes" until 1888, it then becomes "Bonlieu" in reference to a locality where a monastery was founded in the twelfth century.
The monks of this abbey contributed for centuries to clear and cultivate the land. Now Bonlieu is best known for its lake of 22 hectares surrounds a pine forest.
With nearly 270 residents, the village and its surroundings will appeal to lovers of green tourism.
The parish was created shortly after the establishment of the monastery in the twelfth century. However, the current church Saint John the Baptist was built in 1752 in the heart of the village, following several earlier buildings. Note characteristic imperial dome with bell tower of the region. Inside, the altarpiece in gilded wood of the seventeenth century is beautifully crafted. Moreover, contemporary stained glass windows add to the character of the building, jewel of the heritage of the small town.
Note also, in the same vein, the St. Matthew chapel on the former village of Bouzailles.
In terms of the former monastery, however, prosperous in the Middle Ages, which was known for its buildings covering more than 2.5 hectares (including a large cloister), pestilence and wars have ruined even before the revolution. It was then subsequently converted factory and warehouse, its last vestiges have been burned in 1944 by German troops. A hotel was built on the site after the war.
However, it is always through the Chemin des Moines that we are moving from the village to the lake: glacial, along 700 m wide and 300 m, it occupies a kind of natural amphitheater of 22 hectares that borders a pine and beech trees.
Very popular fishing because fish (regulatory information +33 3 84 24 86 96), you can also walk there by boat. Note that the bank "West" is hardly accessible because of swampy areas.
One of the specificities of Lake Bonlieu is to feed the torrential waters of the Hedgehog whose course downstream is marked thirty waterfalls for some very spectacular.
Lake Bonlieu therefore proves a tremendous asset on the natural plane and the starting point of exceptional hiking in a protected environment.
Maps and information +33 3 84 87 08 88.
