Allez au contenu Allez à la navigation Allez à la recherche Change language
Visit France according to your interests :
Select a place to travel in France :
In Metropolitan France
Overseas France
Discover France over time :
Events and News
Franche-Comté : land of contrasts
Its 230 km border with Switzerland places Franche-Comté in the heart of Europe. It is a land of contrasts, with rivers, forest fringed lakes and plains bounded by two mountain ranges: the Vosges and the Jura.
Share: 
-
Lion of Belfort
© Hemis.fr
-
Besançon Citadel
© AFP
-
Morteau sausages
© Hemis.fr
-
Ronchamp chapel
© Hemis.fr
History and Geography
A balance between nature and industry
A mountainous and forested region, Franche-Comté has always been crossroads for cultural exchanges and trade routes. From its historic clock making industry, it has retained a penchant for precision industries, which now thrive alongside the automotive and railway industries.
Cultural heritage
The Besançon Citadel
The fortress looms over the city of which it has become the symbol. Built four centuries ago by Vauban, it is surrounded by ramparts and houses several museums today. It is listed by Unesco as a world heritage site.
Exceptional sites
Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans
This 18th century industrial complex, built by the architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans was meant to be part of an ideal industrial city: 11 buildings constructed in a semi-circle around the manager's house. This utopian architecture is listed by Unesco as a world heritage site.
Lifestyle
At nature's pace
"To paint a country, you must know it…" Gustave Courbet, born in 1819 in the Doubs, liked to say. The landscapes immortalised in the native son's canvases can be admired in the museum at Ornans, the village where he was born.
Gastronomy
Locally based cookery
Morteau or Montbéliard sausages as a starter, followed by a fondue made with Comté cheese, accompanied by a vin jaune, and for dessert? Crepes stuffed with Fougerolles cherries or simply a Klaus caramel.
Events and festivals
The Belfort Eurockéennes
Each year, 100,000 festival goers get together for 3 days to attend one of the largest rock festivals. The Belfort Eurockéennes, created in 1989, feature some of the best known names in the music alongside artists who are the insider secrets of the international rock scene
The France.fr selection
Now on France.fr: find out about France, in news items, pictures and videos
You may also like
-
Factsheet
Franc Comtoise Stew
Popular in all areas of the French countryside, this is a very robust meal that ... is enjoyed mostly in winter.
-
Factsheet
The Eurockéennes de Belfort
The Eurockéennes de Belfort is an independent festival, designed to be a ... festive and popular event from the outset and produced by the non-profit organisation “Territoire de Musiques”.
-
Factsheet
The Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans and ... The Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains
Situated close to Besançon in Franche-Comté, la saline royale ... d'Arc-et-Senans (the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans) is the most important piece of industrial architecture.
-
Slideshow
Natural History Museum, Besançon
Do you want to learn more about small and large creatures across the world? If ... yes, then come to the Citadel of Besançon. The Museum of Natural History that is located here offers the public an original experience, with a zoo, an insectary, an aquarium and a noctarium.
-
Factsheet
Lake Annecy
The “Lac bleu d'Annecy” (Blue Lake Annecy) offers a relaxed and grand ... way of life at the foot of the Savoy Alps! It is also a paradise for cyclists, windsurfers and divers, who come to admire the unique lake sites.
-
Factsheet
The French mountains
The French mountains are characterised by the immensity of the ski area. But ... this is far from being the only quality since the mountains offer a huge range of different resorts, activities and landscapes to discover.
