The archaeological site of Bibracte is located on Mount Beuvray, in a green setting where the forests are as imposing as the landscape.
an exceptional natural site
When you arrive at the foot of Mount Beuvray, where the ancient town of Bibracte is located, the first thing you see is trees. 1,000 hectares of beech and fir forest. Green as far as the eye can see, on a hill which is one of the highest peaks in the Morvan, with its 821 m altitude, and one of the 21 Great Sites of France.
You have to climb up, on foot, by bus or by car, follow a road or a path in the middle of the woods and the songs of birds, to arrive in front of the Rebout gate, the main access to the town, within the rampart which surrounded Bibracte.
And there you enter a completely different space. The horizon opens up onto the remains of a town, its central avenue, its mysterious basin and its monumental complex.
Further on, vast viewpoints remind us that the choice of Mount Beuvray by the Aeduan people to set up their capital there is explained by its exceptional position from a military point of view.
A GALLIC TOWN...
It is commonly said that Bibracte is a Gallic town under the forest.
In the heart of a 1000-hectare forest nestles a town that was home to between 5 and 10,000 inhabitants during the pivotal period of the Roman conquest of Gaul. A short-lived town, capital of the powerful Aedui people, which was a major centre of trade, commerce and politics in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
Today, you walk through the bases of the ancient walls, dwellings or public buildings, pass by the remains of a convent from the late Middle Ages, discover a fountain.
You will walk in the footsteps of the inhabitants of the beginning of our era, but also in those of the archaeologists who have been excavating the site since the 19th century. Numerous panels on the various excavation sites explain what you are looking at, and the La Boussole application provides additional information and helps you to visualise the important buildings of the town. But to understand everything about Bibracte, the best way is to take one of our guided tours!
... BENEATH THE FOREST
The remains of the town are now surrounded by a green setting. The quality of the landscapes and the biological richness of the environment are such that the entire Mount Beuvray massif has been classified as a site of landscape and scientific interest and is listed as a ZNIEFF and Natura 2000 site, while the summit is classified as a historical monument.
As you walk along the central path, you come across the "queules", these trees with tortured shapes that seem to have grown in an anarchic way. The queules are not Gallic; they are the remains of woven hedges that enclosed pastures in past centuries.
Look closely at them, let your imagination run wild, and you will see an elephant, an octopus or a salamander appear!
The guided visits
5h
3h
2h
6h
Are you in Bibracte?
Open "La Boussole" on your smartphone and let yourself be guided.
Are you in Bibracte?
Open "La Boussole" on your smartphone and let yourself be guided.
