What to see in Besancon, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest in the main city and capital of Franche-Comté.
Tourist information
Located a few km from the border with Switzerland, Besançon is surrounded almost entirely by the Doubs river, at least a sign of past glories transpires from every corner, today as then it is a very lively and constantly developing center, home to an ancient university.
The economic sector sees watch factories, textile and chemical industries at the top.
In ancient times the name was Vesontio, it was Caesar who took over the relevant logistical position in 58 BC.
At the time of Diocletian it was the capital of Maxima Sequanorum, later it was Christianized in the third century AD, conquered first by the Burgundians and then by the Franks.
In the tenth century it became part of Upper Burgundy and later moved to Arles.
In 1282 it was finally recognized as a republic of the empire.
After various successive events, it was annexed to France in 1678 and, following the fortification built by Vauban, it passed to the role of important outpost in defense of French territory.
What see
Above dominates the fortified citadel, created by Sébastien Vauban, which includes the biopark, the natural history museum, the Musée Comtois and the museum, where some testimonies of the very sad events that occurred during the Second World War are collected.
To see the Museum of Fine Arts, the Cathedral of San Giovanni and the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena.
At the bottom of the Grande Rue, heading north, there is the small square where the houses that have become famous for having given birth to the Lumière brothers, inventors of cinema, and to the writers Victor Hugo and Charles Nodier overlook.
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The anarchist philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was also born in Besançon.
