Bouxières-aux-Dames: Trails, Nature and Heritage

In Bouxières-aux-Dames, municipal hiking trails let visitors experience the town’s enduring rural character and closeness to nature. Sacred buildings and former public buildings also offer insights into local history. If you are considering Bouxières-aux-Dames as a destination for a stay, you can focus on walks, landscapes or historical topics.

Hiking Trails and the Pelouse des Dames

The municipal hiking trails mainly comprise two circular routes: one is 2.6 kilometres long, the other 3.4 kilometres. The Circuit de Bouxières-aux-Dames starts at the Pelouse des Dames and passes through picturesque lanes and country paths. Along the way, you will find markers bearing the abbey’s seal and explanatory signs; QR codes are also available at the circuit’s points of interest for use with a smartphone.

The circuit offers a short route of about 0.5 kilometres dedicated to the abbey and a complete 2.56-kilometre route through the lower town. This lets you take the route length and focus into account when planning: the short option is devoted to the abbey, while the complete route passes through the lower town.

The Pelouse is itself a place to go for a walk and offers a fitness trail for those who want to exercise. Its avenues were laid out around 1750, when 300 lime trees were transplanted there from the forest. By car, the Pelouse can be reached via Rue de l’Abbaye, followed by Rue des Carrosses. From Étang de Merrey, a footpath leads there through woodland paths.

Étang de Merrey and the Fête des Tilleuls

You can go for a walk at Étang de Merrey; fishing is permitted there. Check local permit details before fishing. The pond is a protected biotope and a breeding ground for amphibians. The site thus combines walks with an ecological focus, while the hiking trails reveal the rural character and natural setting of Bouxières-aux-Dames.

The Fête des Tilleuls takes place on the Pelouse in September. If you want to include the event in your travel plans, check the dates before your trip. The Pelouse’s avenues and the festival provide a distinctive point of reference; they should be distinguished from the route details for the circuit.

Église Saint-Martin and Church History

Église Saint-Martin has a 15th-century choir with a ribbed vault. The wall paintings in the choir were discovered in 1974 and restored in 2017 and 2020. The choir vault depicts Christ at the Last Judgment and the Tetramorph, with the symbols of the four Evangelists.

The protection status of Église Saint-Martin, dated 25 June 2015, covers the choir and its wall paintings in full, as well as the façades and roof; the sacristy is excluded. This precise scope is part of the building’s history, along with the dating of the choir and the restoration history of the paintings.

The founding charter of the Abbaye de Bouxières-aux-Dames is dated 13 January 938. The Chapelle Saint-Antoine was built in 1582 on the route from the village to the abbey as a repository for the Corpus Christi procession. The Crypte de saint Gauzelin is also connected with local church history and is considered one of the oldest crypts in France. Its west wall has three windows and herringbone masonry.

Other Architectural Heritage in the Town

The Domaine des Tilles includes a canonical and prévôtales hôtel of the chapter of the Chanoinesses of Bouxières, built in 1640. The Salle Guingot is located in a former public girls’ school building. Built in 1875, it was used as a school until the Groupe scolaire Franchi opened on Rue Alsace-Lorraine in 1961. The two details point to different aspects of local history: the chapter of the Chanoinesses and the former public use of a school building.

The lavoirs of Bouxières-aux-Dames can be visited individually, without a guide and from the outside only. As access arrangements may change, check them before your visit. The Lavoir des Maures is opposite the town hall and was renovated in 2004. This offers a clear distinction when choosing between local themes: the trails and the Pelouse are about getting active in a rural setting, while the church, crypt, chapel and former municipal buildings focus on architectural and local history.

Discover more destinations: Bulligny, Joppécourt, Essey-et-Maizerais, Moncel-Lès-Lunéville, Longwy, Choloy-Ménillot, Puxe, Baccarat

For the broader travel overview: Meurthe-Et-Moselle.