Chateau de Joux

A sentinel of the Alps perched on a rocky spur overlooking the Pontarlier Gorge, the Château de Joux is a living history book of military architecture spanning 1,000 years. From the medieval tower to the fortifications of Vauban and Joffre, each era has left its mark. But Joux is also famous for its past as a state prison, having housed illustrious prisoners such as Mirabeau and Toussaint Louverture, the hero of Haitian independence. The visit is both physically demanding and spectacular. Visitors traverse five successive enclosures, descend into vertiginous moats, and discover a 147-meter-deep well, one of the deepest in Europe. The museum of antique weapons located in the keep is remarkable. The view of the Jura Mountains and the road to Switzerland is breathtaking. It is a powerful site, steeped in a history that is sometimes dark but always captivating.