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Curled in a meander of the River Doubs, surrounded by seven hills and protected by its Citadel, Besançon boasts a privileged location, situated on the Rhine-Rhone European transport network.

The birthplace of Victor Hugo and the Lumière brothers, which today counts 123,000 inhabitants, is also the capital of the Franche-Comté region and a city steeped in history. Its strategic vantage point was described by Jules Cesar in La Guerre des Gaules (Conquest of Gaul), under the name of Vesontio.
In the 4th century, a B replaced the V and the town’s name changed to Besontio and then Besançon in 1243. The Citadel was built in the 17th century by Vauban and today houses the Resistance and Deportation Museum, the Comtois Museum (regional ethnographic collection) and city zoo.
In 2008 the extensive fortifications that border and tower over the old town centre, constructed by Vauban, were classified a UNESCO world heritage site.
The Granvelle Palace, a 16th century Renaissance palace, built by a Chancellor under Emperor Charles Quint, and which houses the Museum of Time, is a listed historical monument.
Stendhal used Besançon as a backdrop in his novel Le Rouge et le Noir. A City of Art and History, renowned for its exceptional quality of life, Besançon is ranked as France’s greenest city, with 204 sq m of open green space per inhabitant and is reputed for the exceptionally good health of its population.
For a long time the capital of France’s clock-and-watch-making-industry, Besançon has today developed a reputation as a leading centre in the field of micro-technologies, optics and electronics. With its tradition and expertise in complex precision mechanisms, the town is now a major European hub for micro-technologies and world centre for chronological instruments.
In the sporting arena, Besançon boasts two national league teams: a women’s handball team (Entente Sportive Bisontine) and a men’s basketball team (Besançon Basket Comté Doubs) and, in the surrounding area, a whole host of open-air sports are available: hiking, mountain biking, climbing, canoeing-kayaking… The Sports Stadium and the Léo Lagrange stadium are Besançon’s two main sports complexes.

To the site of Besançon

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