The only canyon in the Haute-Marne region to have been carved out of the limestone by water, its name comes from a legend: at the time of the Crusades, this wild valley was the haunt of a lord of Aprey and his wife Jeanne. Their happiness came to an end when Jeanne died. The young man liked to return to this place where he remembered: "There came Jeanne". J-G. Gigot, former departmental archivist, disputes this origin in the CHM (n°39). According to him, the name of the river, known in Carolingian times, comes from Vindogena, the white river.
Free access all year round without booking.
Discovery tour available on the free Id-Vizit app!
Id-Vizit is your personal travel companion, offering you personalised, fun and interactive tours!
+ More info on Id-Vizit
For nature lovers :
The deep gorges (390 m) of the upper Vingeanne valley, and in particular the narrow gorges at the end of the Combe Royer, cut deep into the limestone plateau rising to an altitude of 450 metres and are the source of a retreat on a scale that is exceptional for the Langres Plateau. The variously-facing slopes are the source of some of the finest examples of opposing slopes to be found in the Langres area, and are home to most of the limestone forest types found in Haute-Marne: cold beech groves on the northern slopes, downy oak groves and xerophilous beech-oak groves with sesleria on the driest, hottest areas (south-facing slope tops), tilia-erabaceous groves on the coarse scree, oak groves-charm-beech groves on the plateau, ash groves with wild garlic. The cliffs and rocky escarpments are home to characteristic ferns and mosses, often of mountain origin. The bottom of the valley is occupied by meadows. This wide variety of biological environments favours a wide range of plant species, in particular southern species that take refuge on the cliffs or in the forests on the sunny slopes, and mountain species found in the forests on the northern slopes or in the gorges: Viola alba and Potentilla micrantha, the former a very rare species and at the limit of its range in Haute-Marne, and mountain hound's-tongue and martagon lily in the latter. All these species are on the red list of plants in Champagne-Ardenne, and the lily is protected at regional level. Around thirty hectares of this site have been protected by the A.P.B. since 1987. It is well preserved and part of it is under O. N. F.
Gorges de la Vingeanne
