Lock 75 makes Laperrière-sur-Saône’s setting by the water especially tangible: the site lies at the confluence of the Canal du Rhône au Rhin and the Saône. The Étang du Milieu area also includes ponds, wet meadows and woodland. This gives you a choice of themes for an exploration: waterways and local history, or nature.
Lock 75 at the junction of canal and river
The Lock 75 site lies partly within Laperrière-sur-Saône and at the confluence of the Canal du Rhône au Rhin and the Saône. On the Saône side, the site includes a modern wooden pontoon. The location draws attention to the lock, the transition from canal to river, and a built feature on the banks of the Saône. For anyone interested in waterways, it offers a tangible starting point for exploring local history.
Canal construction and local history
Work on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin began in 1784. The Saint-Symphorien–Dole section was completed in 1802. The dates mark different stages: the first is when construction of the canal began, and the second when the named section was completed. This places the waterway’s history in context without treating both dates as a single construction event.
The history of defence is also part of the area’s story: the inhabitants were protected not by the castle, but by the fortification walls of Auxonne, which were considered safer. This offers a different perspective on local history from canal construction, focusing instead on how the role of protection changed. Laperrière-sur-Saône definitively became French at the beginning of the 16th century.
Another cultural landmark is the Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, which was rebuilt in the 18th century. Its furnishings include a high altar with a tabernacle, an altarpiece and a painting of Saint Mary Magdalene after Lebrun. These furnishings are protected as historic monuments. For visitors, the church offers a tangible glimpse of religious furnishings and heritage protection, while the lock illustrates the area’s technical and landscape context.
A sword and its scabbard were dredged from the Saône at Laperrière-sur-Saône. The find is associated with the Musée Vivant Denon in Chalon-sur-Saône. Alongside the buildings, it adds an archaeological connection to the river to the area’s history. The sword and scabbard constitute a find in their own right; this does not imply a date in the Iron Age.
Ponds, wet meadows and bird migration
The Étang du Milieu area, also known as Étang de Laperrière, comprises two ponds and includes Laperrière-sur-Saône. The landscape in the Saône Valley is varied, with wet meadows, smaller cultivated areas and woodland. Visitors interested in nature will find a different focus here than at the lock or church: not individual buildings, but the mix of water, open land and trees that makes up the landscape.
The ponds are particularly important to waterfowl and waders during migration and the wintering season. These periods give the nature experience a seasonal focus. By contrast, the canal’s history and the church furnishings offer longer-term historical and cultural themes. You can therefore decide which interests you most: seasonal natural processes or historic buildings.
A walk along the Saône
The Voie bleue along the banks of the Saône provides a walking route from Laperrière-sur-Saône to Saint-Jean-de-Losne. This gives you a specific destination for a riverside walk. Check local route conditions before setting out. Fishing is also an activity along the banks of the Saône; if you plan to fish, check the local regulations in advance. Walking and fishing offer different ways to experience the river, with fishing subject to the applicable rules.
For planning your trip, there is a clear choice of themes: Lock 75 and the canal tell the story of water engineering, the church and the archaeological find add to the cultural history, and the ponds bring a seasonal nature focus. A walk along the Voie bleue offers a separate way to spend time by the Saône. Which perspective appeals to you most depends on whether you want to discover the area through its building history, nature or time by the river.
Discover more destinations: Bellenod-Sur-Seine, Bligny-Sur-Ouche, Genlis, Corcelles-lès-Cîteaux, Bressey-Sur-Tille, Ruffey-lès-Beaune, Premeaux-Prissey, Pouilly-En-Auxois.
View the broader travel guide: Cote-Dor.
