Besancon

View looking South over the rooftops of Besancon from Fort Griffon towards the Citadelle

I first arrived in Besancon in March of this year and have been back a number of times with Corinne (my better half). The East of France and the Franche Comte region had eluded me up to this time, and admittedly I knew few details of its history, culture and folklore; I was in general terms aware of the expansion of the Roman provinces in Gaul and a little more recent general history of the area but was totally unprepared for the uniqueness of the region incorporating the Doubs, Haut Doubs and Jura.

Upon leaving the train station at Besancon, I was driven away by Corinne's father on a circuitous route, which navigated its way through old fortifications, redoubts and ramparts in the north of the town and then eventually eastwards along the Doubs. This city is not big but impressive and located on a significant strategic site, on a vast sweeping bend in the river Doubs. It has been settled for many thousands of years, but came to prominence as Vesontio over two thousand years ago, when it was the first city of the Sequani tribe. They in turn came were subjugate by and came under the influence of the Romans, under the command of Julius Caesar, and despite a number of revolts during the early empire the site was further developed and romanised with an aquaduct, lavishly decorated buildings, an amphitheatre and triumphal arch known locally as "la porte noire".

Roman Amphitheatre remains at Besanson

Neptune Mosaic found on the site of the Abbey of St. Paul in 1973, Musee des Beaux-Arts et d'Archeologie de Besancon.

Reading the ancient historian's and source's descriptions of places, and routes taken, it is easy to be misled by dry narratives evoking generic landscapes, mountains, rivers and passes, however Julius Caesar in his De Bello Gallico describes this settlement with extraordinary clarity, care and conciseness. Roman preparations for war left little to chance and Julius Caesar identified a base that could sustain his armies in Winter and through the Summer, with the unsettled and enemy frontiers not too distant.

Book 1:38 recounts as follows:

"When he had proceeded three days' journey, word was brought to him that Ariovistus was hastening with all his forces to seize on Vesontio, which is the largest town of the Sequani, and had advanced three days' journey from its territories. Caesar thought that he ought to take the greatest precautions lest this should happen, for there was in that town a most ample supply of every thing which was serviceable for war; and so fortified was it by the nature of the ground, as to afford a great facility for protracting the war, inasmuch as the river Doubs almost surrounds the whole town, as though it were traced round it with a pair of compasses. A mountain of great height shuts in the remaining space, which is not more than 600 feet, where the river leaves a gap, in such a manner that the roots of that mountain extend to the river's bank on either side. A wall thrown around it makes a citadel of this [mountain], and connects it with the town. Hither Caesar hastens by forced marches by night and day, and, after having seized the town, stations a garrison there."

An early incription refering to Vesontio possibly dating to the period of the Emperor Trajan

Following the demise of the provinces of Roman Gaul, Besancon was eventually incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire until it came under the influence of the Dukes of Burgundy, and thence following a strategic marriage, the Habsburgs. In 1674 Besancon became a French town and a few years later the city was in effect transformed by the arrival of the military architect Sebastien le Prestre de Vauban. He was commissioned by Louis XIV primarily to redesign and reconstruct the Citadelle, a grand task which took 30 years, being completed in 1711.

Other fortifications, on hilltops around the city received attention including Fort Griffon, and these forts, ramparts redoubts and defences still dominate and characterise the city today. These new strategic defences were planned in great detail and utilised the local contours, terrain and features of the land upon which they were constructed, a particular feature of Vauban's planning and engineering; the Roman amphitheatre was incorporated and utilised in the establishment of some of the outer defences and ramparts at Fort Griffon.

View of the inner entrance gate of the Vauban Citadelle

Palais Granvelle 16th Century

Buildings on the banks of the Doubs in Besancon

One of my primary interests when arriving in a town is to discover the food and local produce, and local markets are key to this experience. In Besancon, as with most French cities and towns, there is a covered market selling produce daily and an open air market in front of the Musee des Beaux-Arts et Archeologie selling fresh fruit and vegetables.

Before I ever thought of visiting Besancon I was aware of the two most famous cheeses produced in the area; Mont D'Or and Comte. The local breed of cow is the Montbeliard, and these cute docile beauvines are primarily used for dairy production. Smoked hams and sausages called saucise de morteau are full of flavour and are traditionally boiled and served with boiled cabbage and potatoes. However, more modern recipes combine the saucise with reductions of local wines, such as a Poulsard. Artisanal charcuteries such as the one operated by Pierrette and Daniel Buchiex [www.lafermettecomtoise.com] produce a wonderful selection of cured meats and charcuterie; not always shaped in the familiar manner of a sausage, a small square not dissimilar to a pont leveque make these cured meats very tempting indeed. While some features and characteristics of Besancon are thoroughly French, there is an undeniable connection and suggestion of a German or Swiss tradition and the proximity of the Swiss border and the mountains is inescapable.


One surprise for me was the fact that the Theatre in Besancon was built to the designs of Claude Nicolas Ledoux. Ledoux, a unique architect for his time, was favoured by royal commissions for a period prior to the revolution and was commissioned to design and build the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans, not far from Besancon. He has since gained notoriety for his futuristic designs and projects proposed in the area of the Loue valley, but sadly many of these were not undertaken. The designs produced by Ledoux for the theatre were ground breaking for the time, and incorporated a sunken orchestra and sound box behind it, to project and enhance the acoustics of the theatre. Unfortunately, due to a fire all that remains today of the original theatre is the exterior facade.

In my recent adventures, I have also visited the Royal Saltworks, Haut doubs, Loue river valley and other places of interest in the region and hope you will visit this webpage again in the coming weeks to catch up, or take some time out during your day to see these places and read my comments.

20th June - Aix en Provence

This was to be my final day in the south of France and between provisioning and cleaning we decided to go on a bit of a road trip and visit Aix en Provence. In many ways Marseille does not feel like a french city; because it is a port city, it has been absorbed, influenced by and evolved with all the other Mediterranean ports and countries it has had contact with. Twenty-five kilometers to the north, a very different Aix en Provence is thoroughly French, and offers a complete contrast to the busy port and city of Marseille.

Walking up the Cours Mirabeau and then through the narrow medieval streets, passing numerous elegant fountains in small squares, beautiful carved wooden doors and their bright sandstone surrounds, and many typical regional restaurants gearing up to serve lunch that day gives you a real sense of the vibrancy and colour of this town.

The town, a settlement built up around a Roman castellum called Aquae Sextiae, gradually developed in prominence during the Roman period like many other more more famous Roman towns in Provence and Languedoc Rousillon. Similar to these other Roman settlements, typical remains of a Roman town have been unearthed. The baths/thermae have been located for some time and excavated on the north west side of the old town centre.

Another notable, but less prominent site has revealed a Roman theatre measuring 100 meters in diameter on the site of Notre Dame de la Sed. The theatre is a little smaller than the other Roman theatres at Arles (102 meters) and Orange (103 meters) but bigger than the others in the area at Frejus (95 meters) and Vaison (84 meters) and gives us an idea of the town significance in the area during the second century A.D. With the demise of the Roman influence the history of the theatre follows a similar course to others along the south of France, and excavations have revealed that the theatre became inhabited and buildings were constructed within its walls.

Place Richelme is one of a number of small squares in the centre of the old town where a market can be found most mornings, breaking up prior to lunch. The morning light shines into the square illuminating the marketplace, and as the day progresses and the sun rises high in the sky the colourful umbrellas and trees provide ample shade for the sellers and buyers alike. Wandering around this unique place it is easy to believe that this is a local and small producers market, often some stalls may only have a few small items for sale such as basket of quails eggs or a few squash all beautifully and proudly presented for sale.

Among a variety of stalls selling fresh vegetables, some specialising in fruit, others in lettuce and other greens, there are a number of people selling honey, jams and preserves. Other artisans sell local confections such as callisons; lozenge shaped sweets, originating in Aix, with an almond paste base and iced top. Having arrived mid morning after our travels, we decided to take a seat at a small cafe on a corner of the Place Richelme, and after ordering coffee and croissants we gazed at the activities and exchanges taking place in the market before us.

In many towns it is easy to develop an understanding of where you are and orientating yourself with striking landmarks. In some cities, such as Dublin for instance you can be guided to a location purely by reference to pubs with very little reliance on street names. Aix en Provence is a little bit like Dublin for me, except I have navigated my way around the town purely by reference to the patisseries; the windows of which provide rich displays of decadent multi-layered cakes, richly glazed plump (and thin) fruit tarts, millefeuilles, domes, croustillants, and all manner of confections. Boutique patisseries and confiseries such as Bechard, or Leonard Parli, are more than just shops to make a casual purchase, because a great effort is made to tempt the purchaser with daily exhibits on their counter tops, and in the well appointed windows evidencing their craft and indeed art.

Other markets were taking place in Aix, the flower market was in the Place de l'Hotel de Ville and the weekly market was in its traditional spot occupying the area along Place des Precheurs, Place de la Madeleine and Place Verdun. Part of this weekly market takes place in front of the bright limestone neo-classical 18th Century Palais de Justice designed by Claude Nocolas Ledoux. These markets were well worth exploring and purchases of locally produced soap, bunches of dried lavender and saucison boosted the supply of regional produce on board.

Arriving back to Toulon work recommenced and a number of jobs were completed before we sat down and took stock primarily planning what to do for dinner. The day ended with us poking our noses into a small restaurant down a side street in a run down part of Toulon; a simple pizza from a wood fired oven is often difficult to beat, and this was washed down with an anonymous but excellent chilled rose poured liberally from a ceramic carafe.

I was going back to Dublin the next morning, but would not be staying long because I was to travel to the Franche-Comte region bordering Switzerland in the east of France - a wholly different experience!