Nestling on the banks of the sleepy River Doubs, the ancient town of Dole is a beautiful place to spend a few days. It may well be most famous for being the birthplace of the founding father of microbiology, and probably France’s most famous scientist, Louis Pasteur. But this is a relaxed and friendly town that comes with a long and storied history dating back to at least the Romans.
Dole’s second most famous inhabitant is author and playwright, Marcel Aymé. The town and the surrounding countryside provided inspiration for a writer who became famous for his fantastical characters and detailing the absurdities of rural life. His 1939 children’s tale, Les Contes du chat perché (Tales from the Perched Cat), is the inspiration for the town’s tourist walking trail that passes most of its historic sights.
That history includes three centuries when it was the capital of Franche-Comté and ruled over by Philip the Good, who as the Duke of Burgundy was one of the most powerful men in Europe. After Philip’s death, the Burgundian territories, including Dole, passed to the Habsburg dynasty in 1493. Under the Habsburgs it remained important until Louis XIV, the Sun King, made it French in 1678.
The French crown had always coveted Dole, King Louis XI of France went as far as to destroy the town in 1479. It was rebuilt and went on to regain much of its former power, but it couldn’t stop Louis XIV transferring the parlement and university to Besançon. Dole’s influence waned, but its history remains writ large in the collection of magnificent buildings around the town.
We arrived early from Strasbourg and found a cafe on the Place Jules Grevy (named after the former President of France who was from this region) to have a coffee. Refreshed, we decided to follow the chat perché around the town. We strolled downhill to the marina on the River Doubs. The views of the town from this spot are the finest to be had – the town stacking up the hillside and crowned by the 16th century Church of Notre-Dame.
We crossed the river to an island separated from the town by the Canal des Tanneurs, where leather workers once plied their trade. This included Louis Pasteur’s father, whose house and tanning shop overlooked the canal. Now a museum, it was in this humble spot that the man who invented vaccines against anthrax and rabies, and more importantly who saved the French beer and wine industries from ruin, was born and raised.
We arrived in the pleasant Jardin des Chevannes, with more wonderful views of the town and below on the canal bank are several restaurants. We crossed the canal and weaved our way up steep cobbled streets to the Church of Notre-Dame. The heat was rising and the cool interior of the church was welcome. Opposite the church is an indoor market, unfortunately closed when we were there.
Foolishly heading back downhill we arrived at the beautiful Hôtel-Dieu before going back uphill past a series of 16th century mansions, townhouses and convents built with the town’s trademark limestone. The attractive Musée des Beaux-Arts was closed for lunch (we never made it back to look around), which reminded us that we should probably also have lunch.
Heading back into the centre, we passed through the pretty Place aux Fleurs, which has a great view on the streets below and a lovely sculpture, Les Commères (The Gossips). We finally found a nice cafe in the shadow of Notre-Dame where I made the fatal error of ordering the Morteau sausage. Delicious as this highly smoked local delicacy is, it is not the thing to eat on a day when the temperature hits 34C.
The Morteau demanded an afternoon nap. Fortunately, our apartment was nearby and a restorative snooze was very welcome.
