Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Hotel de Rosières is a private hotel located in Besançon, in the Doubs department, Burgundy-Franche-Comté. Built on an irregular plot at the corner of two streets, it incorporates architectural elements dating from the 13th to the 18th century. Its irregular plan, vaulted basements and facades reflect successive transformations, including partial reconstruction in the 18th century by the Marquis de Rosières.

The hotel preserves medieval remains, like three lancet bays and a gate decorated with a cellar, walled along the rue du Loup. A vaulted basement of the 15th or 16th century and an ancient structure remain in the right wing. In 1741-1742, Pierre Augustin Choutants, Marquis de Rosières and President of Parliament, rebuilt this wing with architect Charles-François Longin, then controller-voyer of Besançon. The street façade was redesigned in 1789 by Claude-Antoine Colombot, who also modernized the interior, including a large paneled living room (disappeared in the 20th century) and a decorated staircase of honour.

In the 19th century, the hotel was acquired by banker Aaron Veil-Picard, who added accommodation and unified the posterior façade with that of the former hotel of the Intendance. In the 20th century, the right wing was transformed into a cinema and then a shopping gallery. Repurchased by the municipality in 1998 as part of an urban restructuring, the hotel remains linked to local history as the home of Joseph Droz, an academic and moralist, commemorated by a plaque since 1886.

The architecture mixes stone and stone, with a facade on Louis XVI style street. The Honorary Stairs, listed at the Historic Monuments in 2001, is a remarkable example of decorated ironwork and masonry. Other elements, such as facades, roofs and cellars, have been protected since 2013. In 2015, the staircase was restored by GERDIL, a company specializing in heritage conservation.

Today, integrated into the Passages Pasteur project (commercial centre inaugurated in 2015), the Hotel de Rosières illustrates the rehabilitation of historical heritage in a contemporary urban context. Its history reflects the social and architectural changes of Besançon, from medieval institutions to modern amenities.

External links