Fontaines, village of Saône-et-Loire of 2472 hectares of which 532 in wood and 35 in vines, has a population of around 2000 inhabitants. Located between Chalon-sur-Saône and Beaune, it owes its name to the multiple sources that spring from its territory to supply fountains, washhouses and watering troughs before flowing into Thalie. The many streams that run through the village are so important in the hearts of the inhabitants that they are often called "rivers". In 1847, the village had no less than six wheat mills and an oil mill. Village of water and stone, Fontaines can be seen today through its church, its Heritage House, its old quarries, its crosses and of course, its washhouses. Lovers of gentle roaming will also appreciate the proximity of the Canal du Center, which runs just 2 km east of the village, and the Green Way for walkers and cyclists which runs alongside it. 1. Lavoir du Moulin: This washhouse, rebuilt in 1924, is rectangular in shape. Its door and its openings are arched arches, surrounded by red brick on the facade. Supported by three walls, its four-sided roof, made of flat tiles, has gutters all around its perimeter, thus allowing water to be evacuated directly into the stream. Its style and its deliberately decorative aspect make it different from other washhouses in the village. 2. Saint Nicolas wash house: This octagonal wash house was built in 1832. Its roof is supported by a beautiful frame. It is supplied by a source, a small stone channel, the “Goulotte”, which leads the water to the basin. In front of the washhouse, another basin called the "Gassou" (from the dialect "gassouiller" which means "splash"), built in the shape of an upturned Chinese hat, served as a drinking trough for the cattle and as a "foot bath" for the horses. 3. The Lavoir des Fontaines: Built in the district of the same name, not far from the source that feeds it, it dates from 1877. Not easily identifiable from the street, you have to open the access door to find it. Its originality lies in its impluvium roof, as in Roman villas. It offers on four sides, washing stones, and on its perimeter, benches which allowed the washers to deposit laundry and baskets. 4. The wash house on rue Chamilly: Built in 1849, it is located at the edge of the street. Rectangular in shape, it has a two-sided roof. Two doors and a window at the front, a window on the stream side, all arched, provide the lighting. Fed upstream by a bypass from the stream, the rectangular basin has washing stones on its four sides. A stone discharge chute runs around it. 5. The quarter Canot wash house: Built in 1866, it was gradually abandoned until it was restored from the original plans in 1994. It shows an oval basin, fed by a large stone chute in the axis of the entrance. The water is evacuated in the opposite direction. Like most washhouses in the past, it was closed for climatic reasons on its north and west sides. Now it is wide open to the light.

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