Title
Capitale du Comté
Centre of the Comté affinage trade
Town · Jura
Poligny
The self-styled “capital of Comté” — cheese-ageing cellars, a fine collegiate church, and a reculée on its doorstep.
Visit
Maison du Comté
Interpretation centre (hours need verification)
Church
Collégiale Saint-Hippolyte
The town's handsome collegiate church
Setting
Culée de Vaux
A dramatic Jura reculée (box canyon)
The town
Poligny styles itself the capitale du Comté — the home of France's great Alpine-style cheese. Comté is made in village fruitières across the Jura and aged for months in cellars; Poligny is a centre of that affinage trade and hosts the Maison du Comté, an interpretation centre on how the cheese is made and graded (hours, tours and tastings need verification).
The town itself has a handsome Collégiale Saint-Hippolyte and sits at the mouth of the Culée de Vaux, one of the dramatic Jura reculées (box canyons). On the self-drive route it slots into the Jura day alongside Château-Chalon and Baume-les-Messieurs, an easy drive from the base at Arbois — a cheese counterpoint to the wine.
What to see
- 01Maison du ComtéInteractive museum on how Comté is made, aged and graded, ending with a tasting (hours need verification).
- 02Collégiale Saint-HippolyteThe town's handsome collegiate church.
- 03Culée de VauxThe reculée (box canyon) at the town's doorstep.
- 04Cheese-ageing cellarsPoligny is a centre of the Comté affinage trade (affineurs to visit need verification).
Eat, taste & stay
Visit · cheese museum
Maison du Comté
Ends with a tasting
Visit · church
Collégiale Saint-Hippolyte
The town's collegiate church
Nearby · base
Arbois
The Jura wine capital
Nearby · reculée
Baume-les-Messieurs
Abbey in a box canyon
Our notesA cheese counterpoint to the Jura wine
Poligny is the Comté capital — a market town of ageing cellars and the Maison du Comté, under the cliffs of the Culée de Vaux. It pairs naturally with Arbois and Château-Chalon on the Jura day. Specific affineurs and opening hours need verification.
For the Comté and the reculée.
§From the wiki
Poligny styles itself the capitale du Comté — the home of France's great Alpine-style cheese. Comté is made in village fruitières across the Jura and Franche-Comté and aged for months in cellars; Poligny is a centre of that affinage trade and hosts the Maison du Comté, an interactive museum on how the cheese is made, aged and graded, ending with a tasting (source: jura-research.md). (Opening hours need verification.)
The town itself has a handsome Collégiale Saint-Hippolyte and sits at the mouth of the Culée de Vaux, one of the dramatic Jura reculées (box canyons). On the self-drive route it slots into the Jura day alongside Château-Chalon and Baume-les-Messieurs, an easy drive from the base at Arbois — a cheese counterpoint to the wine. (Specific affineurs to visit need verification.)