Those planning a stay in Liernais that combines culture and nature will find several specific points of interest in the village. A castle, believed to date from the 13th century, once stood in the village centre. It is commonly known as the Tour forte de Liernais. Its site is less than 500 metres from a hiking trail; check locally before travelling to confirm the trail’s status. When planning your trip, you can therefore decide whether to focus on architectural history or the Morvan’s regional natural environment.

Natural environment in the Morvan

Liernais lies within the Parc naturel régional du Morvan and the ZNIEFF Vallée et bassin amont du Serein, a natural area of regional interest. The area includes bocage landscapes, ponds, wet meadows, flowing waterways, dry grasslands and rocks, as well as the animal and plant species associated with these habitats. Ponds, wet meadows and flowing waterways sit alongside dry environments such as grasslands and rocks; the bocage landscapes add another habitat type to this range. The Suze River runs through Liernais; the Serein appears in the name of the ZNIEFF.

Church and castle architecture

The Église Saint-Laurent is a 19th-century Neo-Gothic church built on the site of the former castle chapel. Its two bells date from the 14th and 18th centuries respectively and are classified as Monuments historiques. The site thus connects with an earlier period in the village’s history, while the bells represent two different centuries.

The Château de Veullerot is a prominent castle; its reconstruction is dated to around 1780. The castle in Cenfosse has a structure dating from the 17th or 18th century. A semicircular tower forms a rotunda at the rear; the estate also includes an orangery, outbuildings and a round dovecote dating from the 15th century. A rotunda is a round structure; here, the semicircular tower creates the rounded form at the rear. The complex thus brings together architectural elements from different periods.

The dates range from the probably medieval castle to the 19th-century church, with the bells and individual castle structures marking other periods in between.

Waterworks and orientation

The old Impluvium washhouse has a landscaped green area and a hydraulic system comprising a reservoir and a well. At the Étang de la Gravotière, a small cascade carries away excess water. Until the 19th century, the pond served the Gravotière mill. At the washhouse, the focus is on the technical system of reservoir and well; at the Étang, water drainage combines with the site’s former connection to the mill. The two places thus show different relationships between water and the built environment.

An outdoor tourist map is located on Place de la Poste, a central point in the commune. The square is therefore a useful reference point for getting your bearings in the village.

Discover more destinations: Échevronne, Manlay, Marigny-Le-Cahouët, Montberthault, Premeaux-Prissey, Seurre, Morey-Saint-Denis, Bellenod-Sur-Seine

For the broader travel guide: Cote-Dor.