The best walks and hikes around Ruggenfrans

Iconic oak tree, creatively decorated like a hobbit treehouse with painted wooden boards. The rest area has picnic tables and sunny and shady spots.

Nice cycle path next to the Rhône canal.

Canal towpath converted into a cycle path, quiet and smooth. Be attentive, you may be lucky enough to see storks or other beautiful bird specimens.

The Canal du Rhone au Rhin is repeatedly crossed by bridges.

History: The history of Novillard begins before 1251 but it is only on this date that we find the name of the village mentioned in an act concerning the priory of Froidefontaine in the form of Nueviller. The stronghold was part of the seigniory of Rougemont-le-Château in 1125, when Frederick I of Ferrette endowed the monastery of Valdieu, currently in the department of Haut-Rhin. A church then existed in Novillard, whose parish also included Eschêne, Autrage and Rechotte, all three currently grouped together in the commune of Autrechêne. Novillard was also the chief town of a town hall depending on the seigniory of Rougemont (of which it marked the southern limit) then the provostship of Angeot, seigniory of Belfort. The fate of the village generally follows that of the surrounding villages: attachment to the domains of the House of Austria from 1350 to 1648. The Saint-Julien church was built in the 1770s. In 1803 the population was 171 inhabitants, and 210 in the 1999 census. The activity of the commune is essentially agricultural.

The village is located southeast of Belfort, 11km from the latter. Its territory, which covers 116 hectares, is bordered to the north by the Belfort-Mulhouse railway line. It is crossed by the small river La Madeleine which has its source in the Vosges massif, in the village of La Madeleine precisely. The average altitude is 350m. History: The history of Novillard begins before 1251 but it is only on this date that we find the name of the village mentioned in an act concerning the priory of Froidefontaine in the form of Nueviller. The stronghold was part of the seigniory of Rougemont-le-Château in 1125, when Frederick I of Ferrette endowed the monastery of Valdieu, currently in the department of Haut-Rhin. A church then existed in Novillard, whose parish also included Eschêne, Autrage and Rechotte, all three currently grouped together in the commune of Autrechêne. Novillard was also the chief town of a town hall depending on the seigniory of Rougemont (of which it marked the southern limit) then the provostship of Angeot, seigniory of Belfort. The fate of the village generally follows that of the surrounding villages: attachment to the domains of the House of Austria from 1350 to 1648. The Saint-Julien church was built in the 1770s. In 1803 the population was 171 inhabitants, and 210 in the 1999 census. The activity of the commune is essentially agricultural.

the first stone was laid in 1748 and the building was inaugurated in 1769. This church is original because it belongs to the two communes of Novilkard and Autrechene.

🕊️ 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒓 The Rhône-Rhine Canal runs alongside the village of Froidefontaine, and the Charmois road is equipped with a swing bridge to cross it. Not to be missed, just a few steps from the cycle path and the canal: the town hall and the church of Saints Peter and Paul. In 1105, in Froidefontaine, Ermentrude, Countess of Montbéliard, decided to found a priory. She established the monks of Cluny there. The church, an integral part of the priory, dates back to this period. The apse and the central nave are Romanesque. Inside, nine stained-glass windows were installed in 1946, the bell is attested in 1682, and a tombstone in the nave dates from 1527. Free admission. https://www.belfort-tourisme.com/monuments/eglise-saints-pierre-et-paul-froidefontaine