Location within Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. Subject to disclaimers. Trying... France

Besançon is a Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. Subject to disclaimers. Trying... French city in the This article is part of the series: This article is part of the series: Administrative divisions of France Regional level This article is part of the series: This article is part of the series: Administrative divisions of France Regional level Régions Régions doutre-mer Departmental level Départements... département of Doubs Missing image Blason_france_Doubs_petit.jpg Coat of Arms du Doubs Details Information This article is part of the series: This article is part of the series: Administrative divisions of France Regional level This article is part of the series: This article is part of the series: Administrative divisions of France... Doubs, of which it is the In The French Republic or France ( French (Français) Spoken in: The French Republic or France ( French (Fran ais) Spoken in: France and 53 other countries Region: Europe Total speakers: 128 million Ranking: 11 Genetic classification: Indo-European  Italic   Romance    Italo-Western  ... préfecture. Population (1999): 122,308.

Administration

Besançon is the capital of the Région Franche-Comté (Région flag) (Région logo) This article concerns places that serve as centers of government and politics. For alternative meanings see Capital is the following: A capital city (in many states the political, religious, and economic capital are the same): In... Franche-Comté This article is part of the series: This article is part of the series: Administrative divisions of France Regional level This article is part of the series: This article is part of the series: Administrative divisions of France Regional level Régions Régions doutre-mer Departmental level Départements... région of France, a région including the four départements of Doubs, Haute-Saône Missing image Blason_france_Haute-Saône_petit.jpg Coat of Arms de la Haute-Saône Details Information This article is part of the series: This article is part of the series: Administrative divisions of France Regional level This article is part of the series: This... Haute-Saône, Jura Map of Jura Information This article is part of the series: This article is part of the series: Administrative divisions of France Regional level This article is part of the series: This article is part of the series: Administrative divisions of France Regional level Régions Régions doutre... Jura and Territoire-de-Belfort Missing image Blason_france_Territoire-de-Belfort_petit.jpg Coat of Arms du Territoire-de-Belfort Details Information This article is part of the series: This article is part of the series: Administrative divisions of France Regional level This article is part of the series: This article is part of... Territoire de Belfort. As such, it is the seat of the Franche-Comté regional council, and the regional préfecture (government offices).

History

Its For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. It gained great importance as the formal language of the Roman Empire. All Romance languages are descended from Latin, and many words based on Latin are found in other modern languages... Latin name was Vesontio.

The city's fortifications were upgraded by Vauban designed this pentagonal fortress to withstand sieges. For the neighborhood of Freiburg, Germany, see Vauban (Freiburg). Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban (May 15, 1633 - March 30, 1707), commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for... Vauban.

Sights

The city is renowned for having one of the most beautiful historic centres of any major town in France. The old town, "la Boucle", is enclosed in a broad horse-shoe of the river Doubs, which is blocked off at the neck by Vauban's imposing Citadelle. The historic centre has little in the way of unseemly modern architecture, and presents a remarkable ensemble of classic stone buildings, some dating back to the Middle Ages by region Medieval Britain Medieval France Medieval Germany Medieval Italy Medieval Spain Byzantine Empire by topic Art Literature Poetry Music Architecture Philosophy Universities Technology Warfare Fortifications The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of... Middle Ages. Among the most visited historic monuments are:

• the 16th century Palais Granvelle, built by Cardinal Granvelle, chancellor to the Habsburg emperor Charles (February 24, 1500 – September 21, 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor (as Charles V) from 1519-1558; he was also King of Spain from 1516_1556, officially as Charles I of Spain, although often referred to as Charles V (Carlos Quinto or Carlos V) in Spain and Latin America. He... Charles V
• Vauban's citadel and remarkable riverside frontage
• the St. Jean A Cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, which serves as the central church of a bishopric. As cathedrals are often particularly impressive edifices, the term is sometimes also used loosely as a designation for any large important church. Some former cathedrals in... cathedral, dating largely from the 12th century
• several Roman remains, notably the Porte Noire, a Arc de Triomphe, Paris A triumphal arch is a structure in the shape of a monumental gate, usually built to celebrate a victory in war. This tradition dates back to Ancient Rome and the tradition of the Roman triumphes. A number of arches from the citys imperial era can... triumphal arch.

Besançon also has one of the finest city art galleries in France outside For other uses, see Paris is the name of a variety of things. Contents // 1 Locations 2 People 2.1 Mythology and fiction 3 Other Locations France Paris Canada Paris, Ontario Paris, Yukon United States Paris, Arkansas Perris, California Paris, Idaho Paris, Illinois Paris, Kentucky Paris, Michigan Paris, Missouri Paris... Paris. The Musée des Beaux Arts has a collection built up since Years: 1691 1692 1693 - 1694 - 1695 1696 1697 Decades: 1660s 1670s 1680s - 1690s - 1700s 1710s 1720s Centuries: 16th century - 17th century - 18th century 1694 in literature 1694 in science 1694 state leaders Events February 6 - The colony Quilombo dos Palmares is destroyed. July 27 - A Royal Charter is granted to... 1694, and expanded over time by a remarkable series of bequests. The building itself was totally rebuilt in the 1960s by the architect Miquel, a pupil of The Villa Savoye near Paris Le Corbusier (October 6, 1887–August 27, 1965) was the pseudonym of Charles Edouard Jeanneret-Gris. He was an architect famous for what is now called the International style, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, and Theo van Doesburg. He also... Le Corbusier, its interior taking the form of a gently rising concrete walkway that takes visitors up from classical antiquity to the modern age. Among its treasures are a fine collection of classical antiquities and ancient Egyptian artefacts, as well as a very rich collection of paintings including works by Bellini, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Titian, Rubens, Jordaens, Ruysdael, Cranach, Zurbaran, Goya, Philippe de Champaigne, Fragonard, Boucher, David, Ingres, Géricault, Courbet, Constable, Bonnard, Matisse and many others.

Perhaps the most remarkable of the city's masterpieces is the massive Virgin and saints An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych. Groups of statuary can also be placed... altarpiece in the St. Jean cathedral, by the Italian Renaissance painter Fra Bartolomeo.

Economy

The city is famous for its Microtechnology is technology with features near one micrometre (one millionth of a metre, or 10-6 metre, or 1μm). Microtechnology is usually constructed using photolithography. Lightwaves are focused through a mask onto a surface. They solidify a chemical film. The soft, unexposed parts of the film are washed... microtechnology and This page is about timekeeping devices. In naval parlance, watches are a timekeeping convention. The term in general use can mean any period of duty or responsibility, such as a hurricane watch. Pocket watch A watch is a small portable clock that displays the current time and sometimes the current... watch industries. It is home to the biannual Micronora trade fair, one of Europe's major events in the field of microtechnologies. The city has a little-known speciality, automatic ticketing machines for car parking, airports, date stamping etc.

The This page is about timekeeping devices. In naval parlance, watches are a timekeeping convention. The term in general use can mean any period of duty or responsibility, such as a hurricane watch. Pocket watch A watch is a small portable clock that displays the current time and sometimes the current... watch industry, for which Besançon remains the French capital, endured a major crisis in the 1970s when the advent of far-eastern quartz watches knocked out the traditional watch industry in the space of just a few years. This industrial crisis was epitomised by the famous " Sagittal section of nose mouth, pharynx, and larynx. Humans use their mouths for a variety of purposes. The mouth, also known as the buccal cavity or the oral cavity, is the opening through which an animal or human takes in food. It is usually located in the head, but not... Lip" affair, by the name of one of Besançon's most prestigious brands of watches. Refusing to be beaten, the workers of Lip took over their factory and set it up as a worker's cooperative. The event branded Besançon as a city of the radical left, and though it produced a lot of notoriety and sympathy for the workers, it did little to help revive the watch industry, the cooperative going out of business after a short period. The city took a long time to recover from the collapse of the watch industry and its other major industry of the industrial age, artificial textiles.

Since the 1980s, Besançon's watch industry has clawed its way back on the basis of its historic reputation and quartz watches, establishing itself in a number of niche markets including customized watches, high quality watches, and fashion articles. Since the 1990s, the town has been developing a reputation as one of France's leading centres for microtechnology in all fields, including telecommunications, medical technology, and components.

Transportation

Besançon is situated at the crossing of two major lines of communication, the NE-SW route, following the valley of the river Doubs, and linking The Federal Republic of Germany ( German (Deutsch) Spoken in: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and 38 other countries. Region: Europe Total speakers: 120 million Ranking: 9 Genetic classification: Indo-European  Germanic   West Germanic    Old High German    Middle High German    Modern... Germany and North Europe with This article is about the French city. For other usages (as Lyons), see Lyons (disambiguation). Lyon Région Rhône-Alpes Département Rhône Arrondissement Lyon Cantons chief town of 14 cantons Population (1999) 453,187 Population of the metropolitan area (aire urbaine, 1999) 1,648,216 Area 48... Lyon and southwest Europe, and the N-S route linking northern France and the The Low Countries are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine and Meuse rivers— usually used in modern context to mean the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg (an alternate modern term, more often used today, is Benelux). The Low Countries were the scene of the... Low Countries with The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in This article is about the continent. For alternative meanings, see: Europe (disambiguation) World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογο... Switzerland.

A key staging post on the Strasbourg-Lyon (Germany-Spain) route, it also has direct high-speed train ( 2nd generation TGV train (Réseau class), Marseille St-Charles station TGV Atlantique on an enhanced ordinary track Duplex double-decker TGVs offer higher capacities (510 total, out of which 182 in first class) on heavily frequented routes, such as Paris-Marseille. Double-deckers have 4 rows of seats (two... TGV) links with Paris, Charles De Gaulle Airport Type of airport commercial Operator Aéroports de Paris Opened 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). Years: 1971 1972 1973 - 1974 - 1975 1976 1977 Decades: 1940s 1950s 1960s - 1970s - 1980s 1990s 2000s Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st... Charles de Gaulle International Airport, and The following article is about the city in France. See Lille (disambiguation) for other meanings. Lille is a city in northern France on the Deûle River. It is the capital of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais région. It is also the préfecture (capital) of the département... Lille. Unusually for a town of its size, it does not have a commercial airport, though two international airports, EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (IATA Airport Code: BSL) is an international airport near Basel (Switzerland), Mulhouse (France), and Freiburg (Germany). International status Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is the only airport in the world operated jointly by two countries, France and Switzerland. Contrary to popular belief, the airport is located completely on... EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg and Lyon Saint-Exupéry International Airport, can be reached in about 2 hours.

Miscellaneous

As well as being famed as one of France's finest "villes d'art" (art cities), Besançon is the seat of one of France's older universities, of France's national school of micromechanics, and one of the best known French language schools in France, the CLA.

It is also reputed to be France's most environmentally-friendly city, with a public transport network that has often been cited as a model. On account of the topography, the historic city centre lies at the edge of the modern city, and hiking tracks lead straight from the centre and up into the surrounding hills.

The city council has been in the hands of the Socialists and parties of the left since the second world war.

Births

Besançon was the birthplace of:

• Claude Goudimel was a French composer and music theorist of the Renaissance. He was born in Besançon around 1510, and was murdered August 27, 1572 in Lyon. He is known to have been in Paris in 1549, probably studying at the University of Paris, since he published a book... Claude Goudimel (1510-1572) - Musician, Teacher of Palestrina. Composer of the music for Protestant hymns
• Granvelle, portrait by Antonio Moro (1549) Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle (August 20, 1517 _ September 21, 1586) was one of the most influential of the church leaders during the time which immediately followed the appearance of Protestantism in Europe. He was born on August 20, 1517 at Besançon, where... Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle (1517-1586) - Cardinal, statesman and humanist. Counsellor of Charles V, Viceroy of Naples
• This article needs cleanup. Please edit this article to conform to a higher standard of article quality. Fran ois Marie Charles Fourier (April 7, 1772 – October 10, 1837) was a utopian socialist thinker active in France during the first part of the 19th century. Fran ois Marie Charles Fourier... Charles Fourier (1772-1837) - Inventor of socialist "phalansteries" (vast communal buildings surrounded by a highly cultivated agricultural area)
• Charles Nodier (April 29, 1780 - January 27, 1844), was a French author. He was born at Besançon. His father, on the outbreak of the French Revolution, was appointed mayor of Besançon and consequently chief police magistrate; he seems to have become an instrument of the tyranny of the... Charles Nodier (1780-1844) - Writer. Leader of the Romantic movement
• Jean Claude Eugène Péclet (1793-1857) - The word physicist should not be confused with physician, which means medical doctor. A physicist is a scientist trained in physics. Physicists are employed by universities as professors, lecturers, researchers, and by laboratories in industry. Employment as a professional physicist generally requires a doctoral degree. However, many people who have... physicist, gave his name to the In physics, the Péclet number is a dimensionless number relating the forced convection of a system to its heat conduction. It is equivalent to the product of the Reynolds number with the Prandtl number. There are various definitions of the Péclet number. The most typical are as follows... Péclet number
• Victor Hugo Victor Hugo (February 26, 1802 - May 22, 1885) was a French author, the most important of the Romantic authors in the French language. His major works include the novels The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables, and a large body of poetry. Contents // 1 Life and... Victor Hugo (1802-1885) - Writer and poet
• Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (pronounced Pruood-on, not prowd-hon) (January 15, 1809 - January 19, 1865) was a French anarchist of the 19th century. Born in Besan on, Doubs, France, he was a workingman, a printer, who taught himself to read Latin so as to print books in... Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-1865)- Journalist (Le Peuple) and author of world-renowned socialist theories
• Hilaire de Chardonnet (1838-1924) - Inventor of artificial silk
• Louis-Jean Résal (1854-1920) - Engineer who built the Pont Mirabeau and the Pont Alexandre III in For other uses, see Paris is the name of a variety of things. Contents // 1 Locations 2 People 2.1 Mythology and fiction 3 Other Locations France Paris Canada Paris, Ontario Paris, Yukon United States Paris, Arkansas Perris, California Paris, Idaho Paris, Illinois Paris, Kentucky Paris, Michigan Paris, Missouri Paris... Paris
• The Lumi re Brothers, Louis Jean (October 5, 1864–June 6, 1948) and Auguste Marie Louis Nicholas (October 19, 1862–April 10, 1954), were the creators of the cinematographic projector. They were both born in Twin valley Besan on, France but brought up in Lyon. Their father ran... Auguste and Louis Lumiere, (1862-1954) and (1864-1948) - Inventors of cinematography
• Tristan Bernard (September 7, 1866 - December 7, 1947) was a French playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer. Born Paul Bernard into a Jewish family in Besançon, Doubs, Franche-Comté, France. During World War II, he was held at Drancy deportation camp. He died in 1947 and was buried in Cimeti... Tristan Bernard (1866-1947) - Journalist and Humorist

Twin towns

• Tver (Russian: Тверь), formerly (1931-1990) Kalinin (Калинин) after bolshevik Kalinin, is a city in Russia, center of Tver Oblast (region). It is located at 56.86° North, 35.91° East. Stands at the confluence of Volga and Tvertsa rivers... Tver ( The Russian Federation ( Russian (русский язык) Spoken in: The Russian Federation ( Russian (русский язык) Spoken in: Russia and many other countries Region: Eastern Europe and Asia Total speakers: 280 million Ranking: 4... Russia)
• This article is about Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. There is also a village named Freiburg (Elbe) in northwestern Germany. Freiburg (Freiburg im Üchtland) is also the German name of the town of Fribourg, Switzerland. Freiburg landscape Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in... Freiburg im Breisgau ( The Federal Republic of Germany ( German (Deutsch) Spoken in: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and 38 other countries. Region: Europe Total speakers: 120 million Ranking: 9 Genetic classification: Indo-European  Germanic   West Germanic    Old High German    Middle High German    Modern... Germany)
• Kuopijoo ( The Republic of Finland ( Finnish is spoken by the majority (92%) in The Republic of Finland (Finnish: Suomen tasavalta, Swedish: Republiken Finland) is a Nordic country in northeastern Europe, bordered by the Baltic Sea to the southwest, the Gulf of Finland to the southeast and the Gulf of Bothnia to... Finland)
• Huddersfield Town viewed from Castle Hill Huddersfield is a university town in the county of West Yorkshire in England, south of Bradford, on the River Colne, the Huddersfield Broad Canal, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. It is in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees. The picture... Huddersfield - Borough of Kirklees Geography Status: Metropolitan borough Region: Yorkshire and the Humber Ceremonial County: West Yorkshire Area: - Total Ranked 115th 408.60 km² Admin. HQ: Huddersfield ONS code: 00CZ Demographics Population: - Total (2002 est.) - Density Ranked 7th 389,486 953 / km² Ethnicity: 85.6% White 11.4% S.Asian 1... Kirklees ( England (In detail) (In detail) Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Official language None; English is de facto Capital London Capitals coordinates 51° 30 N, 0° 10 W Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001... England)
• Bielsko-Biała (Flag) (Coat of Arms) Motto: none Voivodship Silesian Municipal government Rada Miejska w Bielsku-Białej Mayor Jacek Krywult Area 125 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 190 780 - 1526/km² Founded City rights - - Latitude Longitude 49°50 N 19°04 E Area... Bielsko-Biala ( For other uses, see Poland is a country in Central Europe. Poland is also the name of some places in the United States of America: Poland, Maine Poland, New York Poland, Ohio This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the... Poland)
• Neuchâtel ( The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in This article is about the continent. For alternative meanings, see: Europe (disambiguation) World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογο... Switzerland)
• Bistriţa (Hungarian: Beszterce, German: Bistritz) is the capital city of Bistrita-Nasaud county, Romania. It is situated on the Bistriţa river. History In the 13th century, Bistriţa was a flourishing trade post, being situated on several trade routes. In 1241 it was devastated by... Bistrita ( Romania (formerly spelled Rumania or Roumania) is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Ukraine and Moldova in the northeast, Hungary and Serbia in the west and Bulgaria to the south. Romania also has a stretch of sea coast on the Black Sea. România (Flag) (Coat of... Romania)
• Church San Michele in Pavia Pavia (the ancient Ticinum) (population 71,000) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. Pavia is the capital of a fertile province (also named... Pavia ( For other uses, see Italy is the name of: a European country: Italy places in the United States Italy, New York - a town in Yates County Italy, Texas - a town in Ellis County, Texas This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise... Italy)
• Hadera (חדרה) is a city in the Haifa District in Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2001 the city had a total population of 73,100. Hadera is the hometown of windsurfing champion Gal Fridman, the first Israeli to... Hadera ( For other uses, see Israel (disambiguation). The State of Israel (Hebrew: מדינת ישראל, translit.: Medinat Yisrael; Arabic: دولة اسرائيل, translit.: Daulat Israil) is a country in the Middle East on the... Israel)
• Douroula ( Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation of western Africa. It is surrounded by six countries. Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and the Côte dIvoire to the south west. Formerly called Upper Volta, it was... Burkina Faso)
• Man ( Côte dIvoire (often called Ivory Coast in The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. It is the third most common first language (native speakers), with around 402 million people in 2002. English has lingua franca status in many parts of the world... Côte d'Ivoire)
• Charlottesville is an independent city located within the confines of Albemarle County in the state of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 45,049. It is the county seat of Albemarle County6. Geography and History Charlottesville is located along the Rivanna River, a... Charlottesville - For other uses, see Virginia (disambiguation). Commonwealth of Virginia (Flag of Virginia) (Seal of Virginia) State nickname: Old Dominion Other U.S. States Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Governor Mark R. Warner Official languages English Area 110,862 km² (35th)  - Land 102,642 km²  - Water... Virginia ( This article is on the country in North America. For other uses, see United States may refer to: The United States of America, a country in North America. The SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. The USS United States, a never-built aircraft carrier. The United Mexican... United States)

External links

• City council website (http://www.besancon.fr/) (in French)
• Unofficial city website (http://www.besac.com/) (in French)