Nestled in the Côte d’Or, Montbard invites you to enjoy the good life at the heart of Burgundy. The town’s sloping streets, creating tiers on a hill between the river Brenne and the Burgundy Canal, have retained all the traces of local figure and naturalist Buffon. On the site of the castle of the counts of Montbard, which became the residence of the Dukes of Burgundy and was later abandoned, the young and already talented Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, had a vast park created between 1733 and 1742. Classed as a historic monument in 1947, the park offers a prime natural and historic setting across its fourteen terraces.

The Musée Buffon, awarded “Musée de France” and “Maison des Illustres” labels, offers a journey through the history of science, from cabinets of curiosity to the first museums, paying particular attention to figures born in Montbard: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788) and Louis Jean-Marie Daubenton (1716-1800). Two temporary exhibition galleries provide, in conjunction with the museum’s collections, a discovery of the artistic and scientific heritage of the two renowned naturalists.

Also not be missed are the Abespin Tower and Saint-Louis Tower. These two 14th century towers, along with Saint-Urse church, the fortifications and the underground rooms, are the most visible remains of the former medieval fortress. At 40 metres tall, Aubespin Tower is made up of four vaulted rooms and an upper terrace that offers a remarkable panoramic view over Montbard and the Brenne valley. Saint-Louis Tower, modified by Buffon in the 18th century, house the naturalist’s summer study, laboratory and library.