Malpas – Lac de Malpas, wetlands and church

Malpas brings together Lac de Malpas, a signposted circular walk and the village church. The lake borders Malpas and lies entirely within the Natura 2000 site “Lac et tourbières de Malpas, les prés Partot et le bief Belin”. This means nature and cultural heritage sit side by side as you plan your trip: wetlands, a walk of about an hour and the history of a building featuring regional woodwork.

Lac de Malpas and wetlands

Lac de Malpas is a small glacial lake in a wooded combe at an altitude of 925 metres. The wetland habitats within the Natura 2000 site around the lake and the Bief Belin and Ruisseau de Malpas streams include neutroclinal and alkaline fens, active and wooded raised bogs, tall-herb communities, willow scrub and floating plant mats. The natural landscape therefore extends beyond the open water; the areas around both streams are also part of this wetland environment.

The peat bogs of Malpas are particularly well preserved. The Natura 2000 site also includes numerous rare and protected animal and plant species. The lake, bogs and streams each bring a different focus to this natural area: you can take in the landscape shaped by the glacial lake, or turn your attention to the wetlands and their biodiversity.

Tour du Lac de Malpas on foot

The Tour du Lac de Malpas is an easy 4.9-kilometre circular walk that takes about an hour. The distance and approximate duration answer two different planning questions: how far the route goes and how much time you can expect to allow. Its easy rating adds another description of the route.

The walk starts and ends at Place de l'Église in Petit Malpas, so the starting point is also the finishing point. The route is marked in yellow and blue and is numbered 6. Check the markings on site; before setting off, you should also take parking and trail conditions into account. This gives you the starting point, route markers and approximate duration as concrete planning information.

Malpas Church: building history and interior

Malpas Church was built between 1726 and 1728. Its characteristic Comtois bell tower was restored from April to June 2003 after being damaged in the 1999 storm. This timeline links the 18th-century construction with a later restoration of the bell tower.

The walls of the side aisles and choir feature 18th-century wood panelling. The furnishings also include side altars, a high altar and a pulpit. They are associated with the Baroque tradition of regional woodwork and are listed in the supplementary inventory of historic monuments. The church can be viewed from several angles: the construction period, the later restoration and the historic furnishings complement one another, although they do not relate to the same period or part of the building.

Discover more destinations: Buffard, Lavans-Vuillafans, Jougne, Chapelle-Des-Bois, Valoreille, Montbéliard, Mondon, Abbévillers

For the broader travel overview: Doubs.