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| The Doubs River in Besançon |
Little is known of this major city in the eastern part of France near the Jura Mountains. Yet, its natural environment and its historical sites are worth seeing.
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| Town house door |
The old city spreads within an oxbow loop naturally designed by a large meander of the Doubs River. It is the capital of the ancient province of Franche-Comté and is now the second largest city of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region east of Dijon. The city has a population of about 116,000 inhabitants but twice double if you include its immediate surroundings.
The Gauls already lived there before the Romans and the settlement was mentioned by Julius Caesar himself. A number of famous people are native from Besançon: Charles Nodier (1780-1844), the lead writer of the Romantic movement; Tristan Bernard (1866-1947) a humorist and journalist; Victor Hugo (1802-1885) remains the most
famous along with Auguste and Louis Lumière (1862-1954 & 1864-1948), the two bothers who invented cinematography. But it is worth noting that the engineer of two of the most famous bridges in Paris ('Pont Mirabeau' & 'Pont Alexandre III'), Louis-Jean Résal (1854-1920) is also from Besançon, as well as Marie-Louise Outhwaite, née Roger (1814-1905), who was a prominent early settler of Auckland, in New Zealand.
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| Modern sttue of V.Hugo |
Traditionally, Besançon has been the watchmaking center of the country, an industry that its shares with its neighboring Swiss region. Clocks of all kinds are everywhere in the city. Built in the 12thcentury, the Cathedral displays an astronomical clock from the 19thcentury. Downtown, an old palace ('le Palais Granvelle') became the Museum of Time in 2002 ('le Musée du Temps').
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| Old palace in downtown Besançon |
An impressive rock formation towers above the city and the Doubs valley. This is where Vauban (1633-1707) built military fortifications, which are now listed on the UNESCO World Heritage sites (since 2008). Known as the 'Citadelle', this is Besançon major landmark.
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| In the old city |
Due to its climate and its natural environment of parks and gardens, Besançon is the greenest city of France. It is also a highly cultural center, labelled “Museum of France”, due to its many museums and art events among which cinema and photography remain prominent. Its University (Université de Franche-Comté), and in particular, its Center for Applied Linguistics, attracts students from all over the world. The watchmaking tradition also generated a modern industry in microtechnology.
The old town remains an interesting place to visit. It has a specific architectural flavor. The roofs are particularly impressive. And like its neighboring region of Burgundy, some of them are designed with colorful tiles.
Even if it is still a largely unknown place, Besançon has kept a charm of its own, which up till now has remained authentically charming.
Christian Sorand
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| Along the Doubs River in the old city |
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| A typical street of Besançon |
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| A tiled cupola downtown |
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| A street artist's mural |
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| Scene street downtown |
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| Former mansion yard |
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| Jurassic cow bells |
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| Amazing roof architcture |
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| Victor Hugo's birthplace |
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| Street café |
“Ce siècle avait deux ans”
(Les feuilles d'automne, 1831)
Victor Hugo
Ce siècle avait deux ans !
Déjà Napoléon perçait sous Bonaparte,
Et du premier consul, déjà, par maint endroit,
Le front de l'empereur brisait le masque étroit.
Alors dans Besançon, vieille ville espagnole,
Jeté comme la graine au gré de l'air qui vole,
Naquit d'un sang breton et lorrain à la fois
Un enfant sans couleur, sans regard et sans voix ;
Si débile qu'il fut, ainsi qu'une chimère,
Abandonné de tous, excepté de sa mère,
Et que son cou ployé comme un frêle roseau
Fit faire en même temps sa bière et son berceau.
Cet enfant que la vie effaçait de son livre,
Et qui n'avait pas même un lendemain à vivre,
C'est moi. —
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- English Translation -
This century was two years old.
Rome was replacing Sparta;
Already Napoleon was emerging from under Bonaparte.
And already the First Consul's tight mask
Had been split in several places by the Emperor's brow.
It was then that in Besançon, that old Spanish town,
Cast like a seed into the flying wind,
A child was born of mixed blood—Breton and Lorraine—
Pallid, blind and mute,...
That child, whom Life was scratching from its book,
And who had not another day to live,
Was me.
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