Heritage Lotto. In Bolandoz, the endangered wash fountains hope for a rebirth

An exceptional Marianne

“Several factors were decisive for our file,” says the elected official. First of all, the advanced state of danger of the fountains. Then, the exceptional presence of the bust of Marianne. » Enthroned in the middle of the square, an allegory of the Republic in painted bronze, created by the sculptor Charles Gauthier, overlooks the watering troughs. However, Bolandoz did not develop republican inclinations until very late.

From 1698, the village took advantage of a royal edict to gain its independence from the lordship on which it depended. So much so that “in 1789, the inhabitants saw no point in adhering to the rights they already had,” she explains. Deeply attached to the practice of worship, they initially resisted the laws of the Republic and the bust only appeared in 1889, for the centenary of the Revolution, fourteen years after the construction of the main fountain.

Another argument which pleads in favor of the project submitted to the Heritage Mission and not the least: the restoration of buildings using the methods and materials of yesteryear. For example, for stone paving, it is planned to recover those kept by the inhabitants of Comtoise farms in their barns. “The project is immense,” comments Rémy Sitz, director of API 25, an integration structure specializing in the renovation of old heritage, having won the call for tenders. “The columns must be dismantled, the paving completely redone, the old joints transplanted…” lists the engineer. Work should begin at the beginning of 2025 for an estimated amount of 205,000 euros. Thanks to the Heritage Loto, Marie-Pierre Grandjean hopes to restore water to two out of three fountains. So that these places which have irrigated the life of Bolandoz regain their former majesty.