La Bure Celtic Camp, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France

The Celtic camp of La Bure, located in Lorraine, France, is one of the many fortified hilltop sites bordering the Upper Meurthe Valley. The plateau, now covered by forest, is shared between the communes of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and Hurbache, at the western edge of the Ormont massif.

This hilltop settlement, of the 'spur' type, fortified to the east, is situated on a sandstone promontory overlooking the Meurthe Valley by more than 200 meters. It was intensely occupied during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, particularly at the end of the second Iron Age and the period of Gallic independence, as well as throughout most of the Roman period, from the 2nd to the 4th century AD. The site's occupation dates back at least to the Late Neolithic, as evidenced by numerous stone artifacts made from flint, such as chisels, scrapers, blades, arrowheads, and polished axes crafted from other materials.

A few shards of green-glazed pottery are believed to date from the Middle Ages. This archaeological collection is stored and partially displayed in the archaeological section of the Pierre-Noël Museum in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, where a model of the entire site can also be seen.

User Reviews

Marion Boldan (2 years ago)
Path that climbs well but magnificent view, some explanatory signs Several other rather well marked trails Little room for this parked

Paul Wormgoor (2 years ago)
Lots of information available on site about the excavation. Beautiful views from different sides. Nice place to walk around. And what peace. All information available is in French.

David Beaux (3 years ago)
A nice little hike starting from Hurbache to reach the north gate of the camp. The place is peaceful and there are many explanations about life there. The panoramic view of the surrounding area is quite impressive!

Amanda VANLAETHEM (3 years ago)
Great historical place with lots of information on how the place was organized at the time, how the people lived... Several means of access, we did not take the simplest one. You have to go to the parking lot and from there the path climbs less. There is a magnificent view of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and the surrounding mountains! As a bonus you can do the 3 fountains trail which goes around the camp. About 1 hour of walking and overall in the forest so ideal for hot weather!

Thibaut Ronet (4 years ago)
An absolutely magical place and fortunately very little frequented because access by car is far from being a pleasure (a single road on which it is difficult for two vehicles to pass each other). It’s calm, quiet and beautiful. The springs circuit is a must do (around 2 hours) in addition to the visit to the Celtic camp itself of course.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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La Bure Celtic Camp

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