Hauteville-Lès-Dijon: Hotels for a stay steeped in history

Hauteville-Lès-Dijon offers two starting points for planning a stay: the history of Fort d’Hauteville and Église Saint-Pierre, and walks across the agricultural plateau. If you are looking for a hotel in Hauteville-Lès-Dijon, you can consider whether you would like to focus your stay more on local history or on the walking routes described here. The fort, church and trails offer different insights into the commune.

Fort and church: historical highlights

Fort d’Hauteville was built from 11 September 1877 to the end of 1880. It is part of the Séré de Rivières fortification system, which was established around Dijon in the late 19th century. This places the fort in context both through its specific construction period and its place within this broader military history. On 17 March 2006, the entire fort was added to France’s supplementary list of historic monuments.

The fort houses the “La Vie Paysanne Autrefois” museum, which was inaugurated on 21 September 2021. If you are planning a visit, please check the visitor information in advance. This will allow you to take the museum visit into account when planning, without assuming that the inauguration date reflects current visiting conditions.

Église Saint-Pierre has a different construction history: a fire partially destroyed it before Jean III de Berbisey rebuilt it around 1720. He was the first president of the Parliament of Dijon and, at the time, a co-lord of Hauteville. The approximate date and de Berbisey’s role provide a historical context for the reconstruction, while the church also has a distinctive architectural feature.

The façade and inner north wall of Église Saint-Pierre feature opus spicatum-style masonry. The term refers to a masonry technique arranged in a herringbone pattern. This construction method is rare in Burgundy. For those interested in architecture, the masonry design offers another aspect of the site to explore, alongside the church’s history of fire and reconstruction.

Plateau and walking routes

The Hauteville plateau is the predominant natural landscape in the commune and is largely characterized by expansive ploughed fields. Circular Trail 43, “Les Minières,” passes through agricultural plateaus and diverse cultivated areas, as well as several architectural landmarks. This route brings together the agricultural landscape and built heritage as distinct points of interest.

The Les Minières trail also descends into the Combe Pionelle; on the opposite side, it climbs back up as far as the forest. The Circuit de la Combe Souillot offers a different focus: it leads into the Charmes d’Arans and along plots with a variety of crops. While Les Minières is associated with plateaus and architectural landmarks, the Combe Souillot route focuses on the cultivated plots in the Charmes d’Arans. These different themes offer practical guidance when considering which side of the commune you would like to discover during your stay.

Discover more destinations: Chazilly, Gerland, Couchey, Arcenant, Chailly-sur-Armançon, Francheville, Saint-Marc-Sur-Seine, Epoisses.

For the broader travel overview: Cote-Dor.