Besançon
Besançon (UK: /ˈbɛzənsɒn/, US: /bəˈzænsən/, French: [bəzɑ̃sɔ̃] ⓘ, Franco-Provençal: [bəzɑ̃ˈsɔ̃]; archaic German: Bisanz; Latin: Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland.
Besançon | |
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Prefecture and commune | |
Left to right, top to bottom: the citadel, the tramway in Battant, an aerial view of the oxbow of the river Doubs, the Vauban quay, the Museum of Fine Arts and Archeology, the parc de la Gare-d'Eau, the Porte Noire and St. John's Cathedral, the Granvelle Palace. | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Plût A Dieu ("If God wills") or Utinam | |
Location of Besançon | |
Besançon Besançon | |
| Coordinates: 47°14′24″N 6°1′12″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté |
| Department | Doubs |
| Arrondissement | Besançon |
| Canton | Besançon-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 |
| Intercommunality | Grand Besançon Métropole |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Anne Vignot (The Ecologists) |
| Area 1 | 65.05 km2 (25.12 sq mi) |
| • Urban (2021) | 528.6 km2 (204.1 sq mi) |
| • Metro (2021) | 2,514.5 km2 (970.9 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | 119,198 |
| • Rank | 33rd in France |
| • Density | 1,800/km2 (4,700/sq mi) |
| • Urban (2021) | 197,494 |
| • Urban density | 370/km2 (970/sq mi) |
| • Metro (2021) | 283,127 |
| • Metro density | 110/km2 (290/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 25056 /25000 |
| Website | www |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Capital of the historic and cultural region of Franche-Comté, Besançon is home to the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté regional council headquarters, and is an important administrative centre in the region. It is also the seat of one of the fifteen French ecclesiastical provinces and one of the two divisions of the French Army.
In 2021 the city had a population of 119,198, in a metropolitan area of 283,127, the second in the region in terms of population.
Established in a meander of the river Doubs, the city was already important during the Gallo-Roman era under the name of Vesontio, capital of the Sequani. Its geography and specific history turned it into a military stronghold, a garrison city, a political centre, and a religious capital.
Besançon is the historical capital of watchmaking in France. This has led it to become a centre for innovative companies in the fields of microtechnology, micromechanics, and biomedical engineering. The University of Franche-Comté, founded in 1423, enrolls nearly 30,000 students each year, including around 4,000 trainees from all over the world within its Centre for Applied Linguistics (CLA).
The greenest city in France, it enjoys a quality of life recognized in Europe. Thanks to its rich historical and cultural heritage and its unique architecture, Besançon has been labeled a "Town of Art and History" since 1986. Its fortifications, designed by Vauban, have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008.