Hiking
Porrentruy
Porrentruy
Porrentruy
Centre and capital of the sparsely-populated Ajoie on the Swiss-French border is Porrentruy, a small medieval town dominated by an impressive castle. Porrentruy is often called the «cultural capital» of Canton Jura.
Porrentruy (in German: Pruntrut) is the second largest town in Canton Jura, the youngest canton in the Swiss Confederation that wasn’t founded until 1979. Porrentruy has several museums, including the «Hôtel-Dieu», a museum with historic apothecary and medieval church treasury housed in the beautiful former hospital dating from the late baroque period. Canton Jura’s museum of natural history can also be found here, with its botanical gardens focusing on the flora of the Jura region. The room of the watch-making foundation bears witness to the watch industry’s longstanding tradition in the town.
Porrentruy was founded in 1283 by the prince-bishops of Basle. The town saw a distinctive economic upturn between 1527 and 1792, when it became the official residence of the rulers of the diocese of Basle: their impressive castle stands on a rock spur above the river valley. The oldest part is the Tour Réfous, a round tower built in 1271. This vantage point awards views over the wide landscape of the limestone Jura plateau and the picturesque old town with its many bourgeois houses built in the Gothic, baroque and neo-classical styles.
The squares of the old town feature some monumental fountains, including the Fontaine des Samarites (1564) and the Fontaine de Suisse (1518) with standard bearer and boar. Several late 19th century villas and commercial buildings can be found around the old town.
Fertile agricultural land and many vineyards dominate the wide landscape of the Ajoie (in German: Elsgau) to the north of the hilly Jura folds. It is an ideal area for hiking and biking tours and tours lasting several days with a horse-drawn gypsy caravan are also popular. The Ajoie is known as the «fruit orchard of the Jura» on account of its many vineyards and famous but rare Damson or Damascene plum trees.
Particularly worth visiting in the Ajoie are the caves of Réclère (Grottes de Réclère) and the family-friendly prehistoric park at Réclère, which focuses on the evolution of fauna from fishes via dinosaurs to mammals.
Stained-glass windows in the Jura
An artistic phenomenon unique in Europe. With their almost sixty churches and chapels, the inhabitants in the Jura canton have, in less than half a century, created a museum of art – modern, alive and open. This is the largest concentration of stained glass across a relatively small region in Europe. Great masters – Frenchmen, Swiss and Jura canton inhabitants – created these works.
Porrentruy was founded in 1283 by the prince-bishops of Basle. The town saw a distinctive economic upturn between 1527 and 1792, when it became the official residence of the rulers of the diocese of Basle: their impressive castle stands on a rock spur above the river valley. The oldest part is the Tour Réfous, a round tower built in 1271. This vantage point awards views over the wide landscape of the limestone Jura plateau and the picturesque old town with its many bourgeois houses built in the Gothic, baroque and neo-classical styles.
The squares of the old town feature some monumental fountains, including the Fontaine des Samarites (1564) and the Fontaine de Suisse (1518) with standard bearer and boar. Several late 19th century villas and commercial buildings can be found around the old town.
Fertile agricultural land and many vineyards dominate the wide landscape of the Ajoie (in German: Elsgau) to the north of the hilly Jura folds. It is an ideal area for hiking and biking tours and tours lasting several days with a horse-drawn gypsy caravan are also popular. The Ajoie is known as the «fruit orchard of the Jura» on account of its many vineyards and famous but rare Damson or Damascene plum trees.
Particularly worth visiting in the Ajoie are the caves of Réclère (Grottes de Réclère) and the family-friendly prehistoric park at Réclère, which focuses on the evolution of fauna from fishes via dinosaurs to mammals.
Stained-glass windows in the Jura
An artistic phenomenon unique in Europe. With their almost sixty churches and chapels, the inhabitants in the Jura canton have, in less than half a century, created a museum of art – modern, alive and open. This is the largest concentration of stained glass across a relatively small region in Europe. Great masters – Frenchmen, Swiss and Jura canton inhabitants – created these works.
Highlights
- Porrentruy’s old town and castle – impressive castle, town hall, market hall, old hospital, fountains and beautiful baroque-style bourgeois houses with small turrets and courtyards.
- Museum «Hôtel-Dieu» - historical apothecary, a masterpiece of wood craftsmanship in the former hospital and medieval treasury of the St. Pierre Church.
- Botanical gardens – 200-year-old botanical garden, Switzerland’s oldest, exhibiting 800 plants from the Jura region, medicinal plants, old vegetable and fruit varieties and 600 varieties of cacti.
Centre and capital of the sparsely-populated Ajoie on the Swiss-French border is Porrentruy, a small medieval town dominated by an impressive castle. Porrentruy is often called the «cultural capital» of Canton Jura.
Porrentruy (in German: Pruntrut) is the second largest town in Canton Jura, the youngest canton in the Swiss Confederation that wasn’t founded until 1979. Porrentruy has several museums, including the «Hôtel-Dieu», a museum with historic apothecary and medieval church treasury housed in the beautiful former hospital dating from the late baroque period. Canton Jura’s museum of natural history can also be found here, with its botanical gardens focusing on the flora of the Jura region. The room of the watch-making foundation bears witness to the watch industry’s longstanding tradition in the town.
Porrentruy was founded in 1283 by the prince-bishops of Basle. The town saw a distinctive economic upturn between 1527 and 1792, when it became the official residence of the rulers of the diocese of Basle: their impressive castle stands on a rock spur above the river valley. The oldest part is the Tour Réfous, a round tower built in 1271. This vantage point awards views over the wide landscape of the limestone Jura plateau and the picturesque old town with its many bourgeois houses built in the Gothic, baroque and neo-classical styles.
The squares of the old town feature some monumental fountains, including the Fontaine des Samarites (1564) and the Fontaine de Suisse (1518) with standard bearer and boar. Several late 19th century villas and commercial buildings can be found around the old town.
Fertile agricultural land and many vineyards dominate the wide landscape of the Ajoie (in German: Elsgau) to the north of the hilly Jura folds. It is an ideal area for hiking and biking tours and tours lasting several days with a horse-drawn gypsy caravan are also popular. The Ajoie is known as the «fruit orchard of the Jura» on account of its many vineyards and famous but rare Damson or Damascene plum trees.
Particularly worth visiting in the Ajoie are the caves of Réclère (Grottes de Réclère) and the family-friendly prehistoric park at Réclère, which focuses on the evolution of fauna from fishes via dinosaurs to mammals.
Stained-glass windows in the Jura
An artistic phenomenon unique in Europe. With their almost sixty churches and chapels, the inhabitants in the Jura canton have, in less than half a century, created a museum of art – modern, alive and open. This is the largest concentration of stained glass across a relatively small region in Europe. Great masters – Frenchmen, Swiss and Jura canton inhabitants – created these works.
Porrentruy was founded in 1283 by the prince-bishops of Basle. The town saw a distinctive economic upturn between 1527 and 1792, when it became the official residence of the rulers of the diocese of Basle: their impressive castle stands on a rock spur above the river valley. The oldest part is the Tour Réfous, a round tower built in 1271. This vantage point awards views over the wide landscape of the limestone Jura plateau and the picturesque old town with its many bourgeois houses built in the Gothic, baroque and neo-classical styles.
The squares of the old town feature some monumental fountains, including the Fontaine des Samarites (1564) and the Fontaine de Suisse (1518) with standard bearer and boar. Several late 19th century villas and commercial buildings can be found around the old town.
Fertile agricultural land and many vineyards dominate the wide landscape of the Ajoie (in German: Elsgau) to the north of the hilly Jura folds. It is an ideal area for hiking and biking tours and tours lasting several days with a horse-drawn gypsy caravan are also popular. The Ajoie is known as the «fruit orchard of the Jura» on account of its many vineyards and famous but rare Damson or Damascene plum trees.
Particularly worth visiting in the Ajoie are the caves of Réclère (Grottes de Réclère) and the family-friendly prehistoric park at Réclère, which focuses on the evolution of fauna from fishes via dinosaurs to mammals.
Stained-glass windows in the Jura
An artistic phenomenon unique in Europe. With their almost sixty churches and chapels, the inhabitants in the Jura canton have, in less than half a century, created a museum of art – modern, alive and open. This is the largest concentration of stained glass across a relatively small region in Europe. Great masters – Frenchmen, Swiss and Jura canton inhabitants – created these works.
Highlights
- Porrentruy’s old town and castle – impressive castle, town hall, market hall, old hospital, fountains and beautiful baroque-style bourgeois houses with small turrets and courtyards.
- Museum «Hôtel-Dieu» - historical apothecary, a masterpiece of wood craftsmanship in the former hospital and medieval treasury of the St. Pierre Church.
- Botanical gardens – 200-year-old botanical garden, Switzerland’s oldest, exhibiting 800 plants from the Jura region, medicinal plants, old vegetable and fruit varieties and 600 varieties of cacti.
Arrival and return Porrentruy
Adresse
Jura Tourisme
Rue du 23-Juin 20
2900 Porrentruy
Tel. +41 (0)32 432 41 80
info@juratourisme.ch
www.juratourisme.ch
Rue du 23-Juin 20
2900 Porrentruy
Tel. +41 (0)32 432 41 80
info@juratourisme.ch
www.juratourisme.ch
