Porrentruy, Switzerland

If you came with us to St Ursanne, you may remember me suggesting a trip over the hill to Porrentruy, the chief town of the Clos du Doubs district. Well, here we are, not quite border-hopping in the same way as before, but see the later notes.

The high, road (789 metres) is worth the effort for the views and the well-signposted walks from the pass. In the top photograph below, St Ursanne is behind and below us, whilst Porrentruy is ahead.

The high dark smudges on the horizon are the French Vosges mountains, which rise to 1424 metres or 4,670 feet. To the right, or east, is the plain of Alsace, and then the Rhine and Germany.

Le château de Porrentruy, dates from the second half of the 13th century, the now isolated Réfous Tower above being the oldest surviving construction. Several late gothic buildings, including a chapel, were demolished at the beginning of the 19th century. There is a smaller tower, la Tour du coq, at the opposite end of the triangular enclosure.

The climb to the top of the tower begins with an external staircase and is not for the faint-hearted, though it is safe enough. The view of the surrounding countryside from the top floor of the tower is worth the effort. Remember to take your camera with you - I didn't!

Another justification for the inclusion of Porrentruy in the "Border-hopping" group is its chequered history. It became French towards the end of the 18th century, during the Revolution, but after the fall of Napoleon, the 1815 Congress of Vienna prepared the way for the town to become part of the Berne canton, and therefore Swiss. It was not until 1979, after a long struggle, that the catholic area once administered by the bishopric of Bâle, regained its autonomy to become le Canton du Jura, the 23rd Swiss canton.

Although I took a lot of other photographs, my main objective on this visit was shop-signs, of which I have included several examples. I wonder if the same artist was commissioned for all of them. I like to think about the craftsmen and women, including the brickies, joiners and signwriters, who made a living by doing their bit in the construction of a town like this.

As a first class Mr Clumsy, I'm often amazed at what people can do with a few tools and an eye for detail, and I'm alway a little sad to see their work fall into disrepair. There's more to their craft than a few tools, of course. Knowledge and understanding of materials, new techniques and a fair bit of maths and science are required, to say nothing of accurately estimating job-time and calculating margins. Give me freelance language teaching any day!

These two baroque buildings (see the top picture for the Town Hall) were constructed around the same time in the 18th century, and combine both French and southern German influences. The bell dates from 1455.

One of the most beautiful late baroque hospitals in Switzerland, l'Hôtel Dieu was constructed between 1761 and 1765. Note the double staircase and the ornate wrought iron fence. The building was restored in 1987 and today houses the Town Library, Regional Cultural Centre, tourist office and museum among others.

If you've read other entries, you'll know that the small dormers in the roof are called "sitting dogs" (chiens assis) in French.

Your Latin probably stretches to "Christo in pauperibus," : "Christ in the poor".