A few words about Besancon

Besancon, the capital of the Franche-Comte region, lies on a bend of the river Doubs. It has a population of about 118,000, and is a center of microtechnology, telecommunications, medical technology and watch making. Besancon is famed as a city of art, it is home of one of France's old universities, and has one of the most popular French language schools in France.

The settlement was described by Julius Caesar during his conquest of Gaul under the name of Vesontio. During the Middle Ages, Besancon was part of the Holy Roman Empire and a bishopric. In 1526 it obtained the right to mint coins. Besancon was under Spanish control all the way to the Treaty of Nijmegen (1679) by which it was awarded to France.

In 2003, Besancon was ranked third in France in quality of life. It is characterized by a remarkable balance between dynamic urban development and nature conservation, and is one of France's greenest cities. In the city center, there is a vast park designed by Delacroix in 1843, home to many tree species and offering nice views to the Citadel.

Designed by Vauban and built between 1674 and 1711 on the hilltop, the Citadel is a masterpiece of military architecture and the town's architectural landmark. It dominates the skyline at daytime, and is beautifully illuminated at night. The Citadel houses the rich ethnographic collection of the Comtois Museum, and the Resistance and Deportation Museum recounting some of the darkest moments of 20th-century history. The city zoo and the natural history museum are also within the Citadel. From the thick ramparts, there is a great view on the old city and its Grand Rue, the main street since Roman times.

Vauban also built a number of fortifications around the city: Fort Chaudanne, Fort de Trois Chatels, Fort Griffon, Fort Beauregard and Fort des Justices. A funicular used to run to Bregille Heights but it was closed down in 1987.

The beautiful old town lies between the curve of the Doubs and the Citadel. Almost untouched by modern architecture, it contains stone buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. The proximity to Switzerland can be felt in the architectural similarities.

The Museum of Time is set in the magnificent Palais Granvelle, built by Cardinal Granvelle in the 16th century. It is a curious exhibition following the development of clocks from the creation of the pendulum clock by Christiaan Huygens (17th c.) to the atomic clock. It is no coincidence that this museum is in Besancon, as it has traditionally been the capital of the watch industry in France. Although the industry suffered a heavy blow in the 1970s with the influx of cheap quartz watches from the East, it recovered, establishing itself in the niche of high-quality and customized watches.

The St. Jean Cathedral in the old town, at the foot of the Citadel, dates back to the 12th century and contains fine Renaissance paintings and Flemish sculptures. Its most remarkable wortk of art is the altarpiece representing the Virgin and the saints by Fra Bartolomeo, Italian Renaissance painter. The cathedral contains a famous 19th-century astronomical clock with a complex mechanism of over 30,000 pieces and 57 clock faces displaying various astronomic information. A triumphal arch called Porte Noire, preserved from Roman times, leads to the Cathedral..

The Museum of Fine Arts is one of the oldest public collections in France. It contains Egyptial and Roman artifacts, paintings representing European art from the 16th to the 20th century (Tintoretto, Rubens, Titian, Goya, Fragonard, Courbet, Constable), and some 5000 drawings including works by Rembrandt, Mantegna, and Matisse.

Victor Hugo was born in Besancon in 1802. Other famous natives include Romantic writer Charles Nodier, philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Charles Fournier, the inventor of socialist "phalansteries", and the Lumiere brothers, the inventors of cinematography.