Guyonvelle is a commune in the Haute-Marne department, in the Grand Est region, 14 km south-west of Bourbonne-les-Bains.
Located on the borders of the Haute-Saône, its 5 km² territory culminates at 413 meters above sea level, covered with forests (40% of the area of the locality), meadows (23%) and agricultural areas (31%).
This verdant environment is the primary wealth of Guyonvelle which has been occupied since Antiquity: Gallo-Roman coffins and Gallic coins have been unearthed there during excavations.
Later, the small seigniory comes under Laferté, in the south of the territory.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the population of the town benefited from the establishment of sawmills and factories shaping products such as railway sleepers or parquet flooring, an economic asset carried by several generations of the Bresson family.
Nowadays, the village, which has just over a hundred inhabitants, highlights its heritage, and its rich hilly and forest nature delights hiking enthusiasts.
Several sites and heritage elements deserve attention in the village. A walk in the form of discovery can begin with the parish church of Saint-Luc. The building as it appears today reveals several periods of construction. The oldest part is the choir, dating from the 16th century, which preserves a late Gothic pool (which was used for the purification ritual). The vaults of this same choir were redone in 1770, and in parallel, the bays were then widened. As for the nave, deemed too narrow, it was rebuilt in 1850 and the inhabitants financed part of the work, as an inscription still attests. It should be noted that the exterior capitals were not carved, and that only the facade, the bell tower and the buttresses were made of cut stone. The church has a porch tower housing the baptistery, and if the bell tower is surmounted by a spire covered with slate, the choir and the vessels of the nave have tiled roofs…
Near the church, in the cemetery, a 15th century cross has been preserved, which is protected as a historical monument. In general, many crosses line the paths on the territory.
In the center of the small town, to see next, a small castle probably dating from the 17th or 19th century, in neo-classical style, with an attic second floor and a slate roof. On the facade, there are a few sculpted decorations (window frames) and beautifully crafted wrought iron elements (grid, railings). In the immediate vicinity, adjoining the outbuildings, is a square dovecote in sandstone, covered with lime. The ground floor served as a chicken coop.
We can still see that the village has kept its washhouse of yesteryear, made up of two basins, the smaller one having the shape of a semi-circle. A rinçoir and a stone fountain covered with a pyramidal roof complete this fine heritage from the time of the washerwomen…
In terms of leisure, in summer, an inter-municipal association offers guided tours of the village, punctuated with readings. The life of Luc Huin is thus evoked, a missionary priest born in Guyonvelle in 1836 and who died as a martyr, beheaded, in Korea, in 1866. Buried in the church, he was beatified and then canonized in the 20th century. Information on +33 3 84 92 45 41.
There are also marked hiking trails crossing the green locality. Let us mention the course of the Coteaux de Coiffy, 32 km long. Hilly, considered "difficult", it requires two days of walking or at least 6 hours of mountain biking. On Guyonvelle, this loop makes it possible to observe resurgences of sources.
Another circuit, that of the 5 villages, 22 km long (8 hours of walking, 4 hours by mountain bike).
More modest routes are possible, including wooded plots or alongside crops. The opportunity to discover on the way to the east of the village the astonishing Domaine de l'Arbre à Cabane, with its unusual accommodation...
For hikers, maps and information on +33 3 25 87 67 67.
