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Tower of Besançon Pelote dans le Doubs

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Tour
Doubs

Tower of Besançon Pelote

    Tour de la Pelote
    25000 Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Tour de la Pelote de Besançon
Crédit photo : Wikipedro - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
0
100
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
10-11 décembre 2013
Accidental fire
1475
Initial construction
XVIe siècle
Changes under Charles Quint
XVIIe siècle
Integration with the Vauban ramparts
1980-2000
Medieval restaurant
2008
UNESCO classification
2016-2018
Complete restoration
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Tour de la Pelotte (fortification of the right bank of the Doubs, north of the city) (Box AY 91): classification by order of 21 October 1942; 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 on Parcel No. 22 (section CX), on Parcel No. 16 and 67 (section AH), the remains of the bastioned tower of Saint-Pierre, 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

Charles le Téméraire - Duke of Burgundy Commander of the tower in 1475.
Pierre Pillot - Lord of Chenecey Former landowner.
Charles Quint - German Emperor Modified the tower in the 16th century.
Louis XIV - King of France Integrated the tower with the ramparts of Vauban.
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban - Military architect Manufacturer of Besançon's citadel.

Origin and history

The Pelote Tower, also known as the Pelotte Tower, is a medieval fortification tower built in the 15th century under the reign of Charles the Temerary, Duke of Burgundy. It was built at the foot of the bastion of Battant, at the location where the creek of the Mouillère joins the Doubs. His name came from Pierre Pilot, lord of Chenecey and co-governor of Besançon, owner of the land on which it was built. This tower was part of the city's defences, then integrated into the Burgundy state.

In the 16th century, the tower was modified under Emperor Charles Quint, which considerably strengthened the fortifications of Besançon to make it a strategic military place of the Holy Roman Empire. The city, then the gateway to France, was symbolized by the columns of Hercules and the imperial eagle, added to the local coat of arms. This work sought to secure the empire's borders against the Kingdom of France.

In the 17th century, after the reconquest of the Franche-Comté by Louis XIV during the Dutch War, the tower was integrated into the advanced ramparts of the citadel of Besançon, designed by Vauban. It undergoes major changes to adapt to the new defensive system, including the Battant bastion, Fort Griffon and Montmart Tower. This system illustrates the military architecture of Vauban, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Between the 1980s and 2000, the tower housed a medieval restaurant, La Tour de la Pelote, offering franc-comtoise cuisine in a historical setting, with staff in period costumes. This tourist place highlights the local heritage until its closure. On the night of December 10-11, 2013, an accidental fire destroyed the building almost entirely, leaving only the walls of the enclosure standing.

From 2016 to 2018, significant restoration work was carried out by the municipality, the DRAC and the Monuments Historiques, at a cost of about 1.5 million euros. The tower was reconstructed identically, with an oak frame in the shape of a keel and a flat tile roof, characteristic of the fortifications of the era. Since then, it has been dedicated to municipal tourism and hosts temporary exhibitions, while remaining a symbol of bisontin heritage.

Ranked a historic monument by decree of 21 October 1942 and 16 April 2025, the Pelote Tower is part of the network of major UNESCO World Heritage sites of Vauban, with the citadel of Besançon. Its history reflects the military and political stakes of the region, from the Dukes of Burgundy to Louis XIV.

External links