The beautiful city of St Ursanne.

My family and I have always sought to explore the most diverse and charming corners of Switzerland, includingcities andmountains with few obstacles for families withchildren. Nevertheless,I enjoy exploring Switzerlandwith a friend who, like me, loves to sightsee the heck out of Switzerland.

A year ago, a dear friend of mine went camping with her family in the Jura region and sent me photos of the places they visited, including some from Saint-Ursanne. The idea of getting to know this medieval city didn’t cross my mind until recently when I went on a cold snowy spring day with my friend Silvia to get to know the town. Weincluded two other nearby cities, Porrentruy and Delemont, but when we arrived in Saint-Ursanne, it was so beautiful there that weended upstayinglonger than we had planned;the city won us over.

Saint-Ursanne is located on the banks of the Doubs River and is the third largest city in Canton Jura. It is one of those cities that stood still in time, with its narrow streets, its beautiful houses, and its buildings dated between the 16th and 18th centuries. All its medieval characteristics were preserved and, talking to a local resident, we found out that the city has not changed much over the centuries and that the city does everything to preserve the medieval atmosphere. Isn’t it amazing that history of the town is preserved like so?

From the 20th century on, the region began to grow beyond the gates that give access to the old city. In its surroundings, there were industrial buildings and houses, but the most important thing is that inside the wall everything continues like the begin. In 2020, the city will celebrate its 1,400th anniversary since the death of its founder.

Now a curious fact of where the name Saint-Ursannecomes from? Legend has it that the city was founded and builtaround the cave where the Irish hermit monk Ursicinius settled about the end of the 6th century. The resident told us that the legend goes further. It is believed that a bear was also part of this legend, sharing the cave with the monk. And so came the name of the city, Ursicinius. 

How to get there

By public transit, Saint-Ursanne is just over 2 hours away fromZurich click here to see the best train connection for you.

From the train station, it is a 15-minute walk down the hill. There are buses, but we didn’t check the schedule. 

By car, it is 145 kilometers, approximately 1h50 minutes. There is a parking lot on the side of the bridge, and one near the train station. Something that caught my attention is that the old city is not car-free. I would have thought the cars would not have access to the inner parts of the town. 

What to do there?

The city is very small and you will have seen its main attractions in about an hour.

During the summer, the city receives a large number of visitors due to the medieval festival that takes place in mid-July.

• Walk through its small streets and discover the city’s history, commerce and architecture. Visit the three doors: Saint Pierre de Delemont, with a clock known as”LaBerbatte,” which was installed in the 18th century, Saint Paul de Porrentruy, and Saint Jean’s door, which brings you to the bridge crossing the river, the sight seen in the city.

• Visit the collegiate church, which was built at the end of the 12th century in an architectural style between Romanesque and Gothic. The interior of the church is rich in baroque details, and allows access to the crypt where the remains of Saint Ursicinius are said to be and access to the cloister or monastery, with a garden where piano concerts take place in the summer.

•  The medieval garden near the banks of the Doubs River is inspired totally by the medieval molds in the form of a chessboard with more than 70 pieces of medicinal and vegetable plants.
• Leaving the city behind through the door of Saint Paul de Porrentruy, you will find the Chapel of the Hermit on your right. Anda short walkon, you will find your way to the chapel and the cave, where they say Saint Ursicinius lived, accompanied by a bear. The 190 stairs will bring you downto the final destination. In the cave, there is an image of Saint Ursicinius and the bear. On the way back, you will be able to make a small detour, which will be indicated by a sign. This walk will take you to the train station, overlooking the city. Unfortunately, it was snowing and the slopes were dangerously slippery the day we visited, so we decided to go back to the city.

I have to confess that, despite the cold and snowfall out of season on the day of our visit, we were mesmerized by the town and enjoyed every detail of it. We left knowing that we will return in the summer, to see the city go back in time during its famous medieval festival.

Love,

Rita

More information

www.juratourisme.ch