Meuilley combines a path with sweeping views over the commune and insights into its architectural and local history. Along the Sentier de Myon, the landscape, traditional houses and historic washhouses take centre stage. Depending on your interests, you can get to know the area through its surroundings or its surviving architectural features.
Starting the trail and finding your way around Meuilley
The Sentier de Myon starts at a picnic area at the entrance to the village and offers a view across the entire commune. The area is located alongside the RD 25 and the Ruisseau du Raccordon.
The roads also help you find your way: the RD 25 crosses Meuilley from east to west. The commune is connected to the north by the RD 109b and to the south by the RD 115. The Ruisseau du Raccordon also shapes the layout of the village: it lies on the stream’s banks, where the stream flows into the Ruisseau de Chevannes.
Church, houses and washhouses
Meuilley’s church was built in the 19th century, after 1827, next to the site of the former church. The traditional houses of the Hautes-Côtes are distinguished by a different architectural style: 42 such houses have been recorded in Meuilley. In most, the cellar is on the ground floor and the living quarters above. An additional attic storey is lit by elongated or square windows; a staircase on the façade is also a common feature. These characteristics make it possible to identify the typical house as a distinctive regional architectural style.
The architectural heritage also includes two washhouses. Both have a rectangular floor plan, rectangular basins made of dressed stone, one open side of the façade and a roof covering the entire structure. The Lavoir de Vianne is fed by the Fontaine de Vianne and is freely accessible; check local conditions before your visit. The second washhouse is at the entrance to the village, near the bridge, and can be seen from the road. The two locations therefore differ in how they are identified: one is named after its spring, while the other is located by reference to the bridge and road.
Traces of the former Château de Meuilley
Rue du Château also points to the village’s earlier history. The Château de Meuilley was built in 1561 on the ruins of an older keep and destroyed in 1834. The present-day Rue du Château is on its former site. At the end of the street, remains of the former stables, which date from the late 18th century, are still preserved. The street name, the former site and the surviving stables together provide several clues to the château’s history, although the building itself no longer stands.
Forest and protected landscape
Montlissard Forest is dominated by beech, oak and hornbeam trees; numerous rare plants grow along its edges. The forest extends across Meuilley as well as Chaux, Villers-la-Faye and Marey-lès-Fussey. It is therefore a landscape feature that reaches beyond the commune’s boundaries. At the foot of Montagne de Montlissard, grazed meadows and wet grassland lie along the Ruisseau du Lieu Dieu. The rare common adder’s-tongue fern grows there.
The entire commune is part of the 60,661-hectare Natura 2000 site “Arrière côte de Dijon et de Beaune” (FR 2612001). Meuilley is also part of the ZICO Be04 “les Hautes Cotes de Dijon et Beaune”. This offers a clear combination of local history and landscape when choosing a destination: the church, houses and washhouses are the main sights in the village, while streams, forest and protected areas shape the wider natural surroundings.
Discover more destinations: Lusigny-sur-Ouche, Flagey-Échézeaux, Saint-Jean-de-Losne, Châtillon-Sur-Seine, Labergement-Lès-Seurre, Villers-La-Faye, Merceuil, Pouillenay.
For the main travel overview: Cote-Dor.
