Visit of Bourg-en-Bresse

With its relaxed way of life, the attraction of its old neighbourhoods with their wood-panelled houses and the arrangement of its flower beds, Bourg-en-Bresse, is surely a town of human dimensions full of its generous past and ambitious future.

Brou monastery  A flamboyant gothic jewel, the monastery of Brou stems from a love story. Bourg and Brou, two towns which are inseparable today. The monastery holds many treasures : a magnificently ornate church, three variously styled cloisters, beautiful arched ogive halls, surrounded by lovely big gardens and museums exhibiting rich collections

Bresse enamelwork  Originally associated with regional costumes, Bresse enamelwork had its golden glory during the XIXth century. Necklaces and chains, crosses and broaches, bracelets and earrings adorned beautiful Bresse ladies... These shimmering jewels with multicoloured enamelled plaques mounted on gold or silver were also fashionable in Paris under Napoleon III. They are still passed on from mother to daughter, and certain skilful jewellers still maintain the tradition today.

Visit of the apothecary museum  The Hôtel-Dieu, which was designed as a general hospital by the architect Adrien Pâris, Soufflots pupil, has seen generations of germs go by... Exhibited in the old apothecarys laboratory are stills, copper pans, pewter dishes... Louis XVth style panelling can be seen further inside and the dispensary has a display of ointment jars and jars for medicinal herbs or minerals.

Visit of a bresse farmhouse  Nothing more simple than a Bresse farmhouse : a long rectangle and each his own space, man, beast and harvest ! The haître, a large porch formed by the overflow of the roof, allows a dry work area when it rains. One can hang "grapes" of maize... or geraniums from it !  In areas of Bresse close to the Savoy region, tiles are hollow and the walls in pisé, meaning packed down crude earth where hues vary from one site to another. Wood is used for the structure, known as ìwood framingî and for making the balconies.

Bouvent leisure park  The leisure park is accessible on foot or by bicycle from the towns centre by the "green way". Totalling 56 hectares of hilly and woody countryside, Bouvent certainly has the means to satisfy everyone : 21 hectares of waterway with beaches and supervised swimming, fishing spots, picnic areas, games, walks (2 km), archery, sailing school.

A gourmet town  Firstly there is the native emblem, the Bresse chicken with its completely white feathers, bright red comb and blue claws. Master chefs have given it the excellence it deserves and it is always seen in the finest restaurants. The Bresse chicken is the only poultry in France that qualifies for the AOC label (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée).

The notre dame church  Started in 1505, at the same time as Brou, Notre-Dame church was finally completed two centuries later. Its regularity of form shows an elegant Renaissance style façade facing west. The choir displays a black Virgin and a medieval icon of the Virgin and child.