Tourism in Burgundy around Les Galants in the Nièvre

Guédelon, they’re building a fortified castle

In the heart of a former sandstone quarry, quarry-workers, stonemasons, bricklayers, woodcutters, carpenters, blacksmiths, tile makers, carters and rope makers build under your eyes a fortified XIIIth century castle.

Guédelon, building to learn! Travel through time by visiting this unique construction site and meet the workers and craftsmen at their job: they’ll share with you the amazing adventures of the middle-ages builders.

In 2013, the workers continued working on the 2nd floor of the master tower and elevated the Eastern angle tower . They assembled the vault as a dome with the Western angled tower. For the first time this season, the entire path will be available.

Saint-Fargeau castle

The imposing pink brick XVth century fortress hides an unpredictably elegant interior courtyard, drawn in the XVIIth century by Le Vau. The astonishing visit of the castle’s structure comes after the furnished apartments’ tour.

The exploration should be completed by the historical “sound and light” performance on fridays and saturdays at nightfall in summer.

Ratilly Castle

Discover the many facets of this wondrous place: a castle in the XIIIth century, a dovecote and Renaissance chimney, a craft workshop of stoneware pottery, an exhibition venue of traditional Puisaye stoneware, a contemporary art exhibition venue, and place for concerts and music courses. One of Puisaye’s most beautiful jewels.

Sancerre

Sancerre and its vineyards are both absolute must-sees. High on its 312m rocky peak, Sancerre dominates the splendid panorama of the Val-de-Loire et its famous vineyards.

From the Porte César esplanade you can see in the background the delicate pastel-colored tons of the Morvan Mount.

Vézelay, the eternal hill

Vezelay: the name itself recalls that of a church – beauty of the roman art – an exquisite white wine, one of France’s most beautiful village, a departure for Saint Jacques de Compostelle, an open door on the Natural Regional Park of Morvan, as well as en exceptionally well-preserved environment with admirable landscapes and unknown treasures in the heart of each town (Yonne).

Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye

Nestled at the heart of a wooded and rolling countryside, this village has perpetuated the ceramic tradition since the middle ages. It’s been specialized in pottery since the XIVth century, when it was a center for pottery crafting. The ground of Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye offers an astonishing clay that vitrifies under high temperatures and then resists to frost.

Rich of an exceptional story, Saint-Amand the potter cultivated till today its vocation to be a land of creation. Many art craftsmen practice their talent with passion, for you to enjoy, in a setting recognized as “City and Work of Art”.
The Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye castle is one of the most important Renaissance castles in the Niversais. It was built between 1530 and 1540, and houses today a museum dedicated to ceramic, activity that makes the fame of the city and its surroundings.

Colette museum

Literary museum – walk through Colette’s work, collections and apartment in the Saint-Sauveur castle (Yonne).

Donzy

Surrounded by an authentic green scenery, the Donziais, a rolling region criss-crossed by numerous streams, is like paradise for the stroller. With more than 15 marked circuits for half-day or day long walks, let yourself go to the joy of hiking, cycling or horse-riding and discover the immense forest, full of smells, wooded countryside, fields and charming hidden villages.

Land of history and tradition, with testimonies of the past bording your historical itinerary: castles, abbeys, churches, wash houses and windmills, classified as Historical Monuments or protected sites. At the heart of Donzy, the La Meunerie Ecomuseum will bring to life an amazing adventure in the country of millers.

Clamecy

Clamecy, an important town during the Middle-ages, is situated on the border of Morvan at the junction between the Yonne and the Beuvron rivers. It’s divided by the Nivernais canal, dug in the XVIIIth and XIXth century to facilitate the task of bringing the heating wood to Paris and still in use today for leisure navigation.

The town is presented with a set of architectural buildings from the XVth till the XXth century. The city center is old and considered a “conservation sector”. Wooden houses and private hotels punctuate the often narrow and sloping roads. The Saint-Martin collegiate church, edified between the XIIth and XVIth century, is an unique and authentic piece of goth Burgundian art. Classified as a Historical Monument since 1840, it was restored by important construction works, revealing scenery painted in the XIVth century. It faces the town hall, built over the old count of Nevers’ castle, of which nothing is left than the caves.

Rosny-les-Sept-Ecluses

Rosny-les-Sept-Ecluses, bordering Puisaye-Forterre, is named after the impressing work of the 7 locks.

The Briare canal and the 7 locks are part of a greater project conceived by Henri IV and Sully in 1597. The plan was to unify the Mediterranean Sea to the Ocean and the Channel with canals connecting rivers, to therefor have a more secure, cheaper and faster way to transport people and merchandizes. For that reason, the Loire and the Seine needed to be connected. Hugues Crosnier will be the one to have the honor and will of crossing the hills. And go down the 24m peak of the Loing Valley. He imagines a set of six locks, adjoined later on by a seventh one.

The construction work starts in 1604 and gathers 12,000 workers. In 1642, the canal is ready for navigation, and the locks functioned until 1800, when they were replaced by six locks placed on the new Briare canal route. The 7 locks were classified as Historical Monuments in december 1983.

The Blot windmill in Bouhy

This windmill from the XIXth century, decorated with a conical swirling roof, was used until the end of the Xxth century. It was renovated in 2006, and given a new life by the “Amis du Moulin Blot” association that produce flour from the homegrown wheat.

Visit the inside of the windmill : the crushing mechanisms with silex grindstones, rotating sieves, oak structure, opening system and regulation of the wing movements.

Adventure of Sound Musuem

Exceptional in Europe, the collection of more than 1000 photographs, radio and mechanical music instruments and the room dedicated to the sixties is really a place to see and listen to.

Mechanical music demonstrations start at 10h30am, 3h30 and 4h30 pm.

The sites to visit around Les Galants