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Citadelle de Besançon dans le Doubs

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Citadelles
Fortification de Vauban

Citadelle de Besançon

    99 Rue des Fusillés de la Résistance
    25000 Besançon
Property of the municipality; State ownership
Citadelle de Besançon vue aérienne
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Citadelle de Besançon
Crédit photo : MaestroGlanz - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1700
1800
1900
2000
1668
Start of work
10 août 1678
Treaty of Nijmegen
1683
Completion of work
1941-1944
Performances of resistors
7 juillet 2008
UNESCO classification
2025
New rankings MH
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Set of buildings constituting the Citadelle, including the chapel Saint-Etienne and the nearby well: classification by order of 8 June 1942; The stronghold of the Rivotte gate: classification by decree of 5 January 1944; The glacis of the citadel, the Taillé gate and the Rivotte gate being part of the old ramparts of Vauban: classification by order of 14 March 1944; The following parts of the urban enclosure: the buried remains of the counterscarp of the bastioned tower of Rivotte located on Parcel 58 (section DK), the remains of the rampart, even those buried, between the bastioned tower of the Rivotte and the bastioned tower of Brégille, located on Parcel No. 11 (section AK), the part of the rampart between the bastion of the mill Saint-Paul and the remains of the bastioned tower of Saint-Pierre, located 22 Arthur-Gaulard Avenue, on Parcels Nos. 16 and 67 (section AH), the remains of the bastioned tower of Saint-Pierre Street, located on Parcel No. 29 (section AE), the buried remains of the bezel of Bregille, located on Parcel No. 109 (section CX), the corps de guard est de Chamars du XVIIIe siècle, situé 2 avenue de la Gare d The following parts of the urban enclosure, as legended on the plane annexed to the decree: On the left bank of the Doubs: The round road extending from the gate of Rivotte to the street of the Fusillés of the Resistance, located suburb Rivotte, on Parcel No. 42a and No. 42b, appearing in the cadastre, section DK; the buried remains of the counterscarp of the bastioned tower of Rivotte and the ground, situated suburb Rivotte, in the suburbs of Parcel No. 75, appearing in the cadastre section AK, of Parcel No. 107, appearing in the cadastre section AK, of Parcel No. 109, appearing in the cadastre section DK, and of Parcel No. 110, appearing in the cadastre section DK, and under Arthur-Gaulard Avenue, on the non-cadastre public domain, appearing in the cadastre section DK; the remains of the rampart, even those buried, between the bastioned tower of Rivotte and the bastioned tower of Bregille, and the soil to the west of the remains of that rampart, located 12 Arthur-Gaulard Avenue, on Parcel No. 137 and in the depths of the said parcel, shown in the cadastre section AK, and in the public domain not cadastralized under Arthur-Gaulard Avenue, shown in the cadastre section AK; That part of the rampart situated at Arthur-Gaulard Avenue, on Parcel No. 89, shown in the cadastre section AH, and that parcel; the road of haulage situated on the public non-cadastre domain, shown in the cadastre section AH, below parcels No 16, No 67, and No 89 of that section of the cadastre, and on the public non-cadastre domain situated between the outlet of the street of the Republic and the bridge of the same name, shown in the cadastre at the boundary between sections AH and AE; the remains of the bastioned tower Saint-Pierre, located at Elisha-Cusenier Avenue, on Parcel No. 29, shown in the cadastre section AE; The derased ramparts and the buried remains of the old ramparts, extending from the remains of the bastioned tower of St Peter to the bastion of the Holy Spirit, partly on Parcel No. 29, shown in the cadastre section AE; partially buried under the entrance of the Denfert-Rochereau Bridge, a non-cadastre public domain, partly situated on Parcel No. 137, shown in the Cadastre section AE, as well as the haulage path located on the non-cadastre public domain, below Parcels No. 29 and No. 137 of the AE section of the cadastre; the bastion of the Holy Spirit, the casemate of the flank of Poitune, the casemate of the side of the Cordeliers, the rampart between the bastion of the Holy Spirit and the casemate of the side of the Cordeliers and its buried remains, as well as the road of haulage, located below this rampart, this bastion and these casemates, all located quai Vauban on the non-cadaster public domain, appearing in the cadastre sections AD and AW; the remains of casemate, located on rue Girod-de-Chantrans, shown on Parcel No. 1 in the cadastre section AV; the buried remains of the second line of ramparts and the ground of its former slope, situated on the public estate not cadastre, partly on the road of haulage, partly under Parcel No. 1 in the cadastre section AV, and partly on the public estate not cadastre, under the rue Girod-de-Chantrans, between Parcels Nos. 1 and 5, all of which appear in the cadastre section AV; the buried remains of the second line of the ramparts, the ground of their former slope and the remains of the Chamars bridge, situated partly below the avenue of 8-May-1945, between Parcel No. 8 of Section Av and Parcel No. 27 of Section AT, in the uncadastre public domain, partly under Parcel No. 27 of Section AT, and partly under the Geneviève-de-Gaulle-Anthonioz track, between Parcel No. 27 of Section AT, and Parcel No. 5a of Section AT; the west guard corps of Chamars, located on Parcel No. 27 in the cadastre section AT; the buried remains of the Notre Dame gate located at the entrance of Charles-Nodier Street on the Tarragnoz suburbs, on the non-cadastre public domain, sections AP and DM of the cadastre; the rampart, ditch and counterscarp between Charles-Nodier Street and Notre-Dame Tower, bearing the ascent to the Rue du Chapter, situated partially on the non-cadastre public domain, section AP of the cadastre and partly on Parcel No 19, shown in the cadastre section DM; On the right bank of the Doubs: the buried remains of the Bezel of Bregille and the ground of these remains, located under Parcels Nos. 121 and 221, and under the uncadastered public domain, at the intersection of the Avenues Édouard-Droz and Chardonnet and the exit from the Bridge of Bregille, shown in the Cadastre section CX; the south guard corps of the Gate of Arenes, located 11 rue Marulaz, on Parcel No. 159, shown in the Cadastre section AX: classification by order of 16 April 2025

Key figures

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban - Military engineer Manufacturer of the citadel for Louis XIV.
Louis XIV - King of France Sponsor of works after 1678.
Henri Fertet - Resistant shot Author of a letter of testament at 16.
Denise Lorach - Former deportee Founder of the Museum of Resistance (1971).
Jean Garneret - Ethnographer and priest Creator of the Comtois Museum in 1960.

Origin and history

The citadel of Besançon is a fortress built in the 17th century on Mount Saint-Étienne, 117 metres above the Doubs, according to the plans of Vauban for Louis XIV. It replaces a medieval church and incorporates bastions, ditches and ramparts adapted to the steep relief. His initial role was to protect the eastern border of France after the annexation of Besançon in 1678.

The construction began in 1668 under Spanish domination and was taken over by Vauban after the Treaty of Nijmegen (1678). The works were completed in 1683, with three bastioned fronts (Saint-Étienne, Royal, rescue) and a well of 117 metres, the deepest in France. The citadel served as a garrison, military prison (19th century) and a place of execution of resistance during the Second World War (1941-1944).

Classified as a Historic Monument since 1942 and registered at UNESCO in 2008, it now houses three museums (Resistance, Comtois, Museum), a zoo, an aquarium and a noctarium. With 250,000 to 300,000 annual visitors, this is the most frequented site in Franche-Comté. Its architecture illustrates the climax of bastioned fortifications, combining military innovation and landscape adaptation.

The St. Stephen's Front, built on the site of a razed church, includes half a moon, ditches and mumps bastions. The Royal Front, flanked by the King's and Queen's guerrillas, connects the fronts with walls 20 metres high. The citadel also includes functional buildings: arsenal, powder shop, barracks (like that of the Cadets), and a sober chapel dedicated to Saint Stephen.

During the Second World War, 100 resistance fighters were shot there by the Germans, including Henri Fertet, 16, whose letter of testament was displayed at the Museum of Resistance. After 1959, the city of Besançon transformed the site into a tourist and cultural hub, while preserving its military heritage, as evidenced by recent restorations (2007-2025).

Future

It houses three museums labeled Musées de France: the Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation, the Musée Comtois and the Muséum, which are divided into five spaces: the Zoological Garden, the Aquarium, the Insectarium, the Noctarium and the Path of Evolution. Restaurant spaces and a shop are available on the site.

External links