The tour starts near the Water Museum. Water, so important to the village. So important that it would not exist without it. From the timber trade to silk mills and the wool and hemp trade, Pont-en-Royans lives to the rhythm of water and industry. Today, the Bourne River allows you to cool down in the heat of summer and fish. And yet, the water can quickly rise. The reason: an upstream dam that raises the water level and confuses the visitor thinking he discovers a small quiet river.
As you walk along the banks, the visitor discovers a village where water is everywhere. The waterfall of the leisure area attracts the eyes and ears. But culture calls us with the Media Hall. Why this name? Because a hall existed there before it burned down in 1912. And finally, they appear: the hanging houses. A postcard of the village. How can we not be impressed by their architecture, colours and curiosities? There a hoop for fishing, there latrines, there wooden balconies with precarious balance. A real architectural feat that amazes the visitor of today as that of the past: isn’t it Stendhal?
Pont-en-Royans is also a village with a maze of old streets. There once crossed the cultured and prosperous Protestant traders who gave the village its nobility. The Wars of Religion and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes swept away their prosperity and the village darkened. Take the height and admire the village from the Corbeille district. Finally, the descent is through the Porte de France and the history of what was once the Dauphiné.
Pont-en-Royans is waiting for you to be discovered!