Forest of Chaux
Encyclopedia
The Forest of Chaux is the second largest forest in France. Its 20,493 hectares are located in the region of Franche-Comté
on the plains east of the Jura mountains
.
Exploitation of the forest dates back to the thirteenth century, and there is an ancient tradition of raftsmen floating timber down the Loue
to the Saône
and the Rhone
, and thence to the Mediterranean. Today, the "Confrérie Saint Nicolas" maintains the raftsman tradition on the Loue.
When Franche-Comté became part of France in 1678, the Crown took possession of the Forest because of its potential for supplying timber for the Royal navy. In 1779, Louis XIV
ordered the construction of the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans
near the forest so that the works could use its wood to produce salt by boiling brine.
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
on the plains east of the Jura mountains
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
.
Exploitation of the forest dates back to the thirteenth century, and there is an ancient tradition of raftsmen floating timber down the Loue
Loue
The Loue is a river of eastern France, a left tributary of the Doubs, which it joins downstream of Dole. Its source is a karstic spring in the Jura mountains near Ouhans, which at least partly receives its water from the Doubs...
to the Saône
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
and the Rhone
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
, and thence to the Mediterranean. Today, the "Confrérie Saint Nicolas" maintains the raftsman tradition on the Loue.
When Franche-Comté became part of France in 1678, the Crown took possession of the Forest because of its potential for supplying timber for the Royal navy. In 1779, Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
ordered the construction of the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans
Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans
The Saline Royale is a historical building at Arc-et-Senans in the department of Doubs, eastern France. It is next to the Forest of Chaux and about 35 kilometers from Besançon. The architect was Claude-Nicolas Ledoux , a prominent Parisian architect of the time...
near the forest so that the works could use its wood to produce salt by boiling brine.