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Origin and history

The water castle of the Arcier spring, also known as the Saint John Reservoir, is a monument located in Besançon, in the Doubs department. Built in the 19th century, it is part of a municipal project to meet the city's growing drinking water needs. Its location, at the corner of the streets of the Cingle and the Palace, marks the old square of the Palace, at the foot of the citadel.

As early as the second century, the Romans captured the waters of the sources of Arcier via an aqueduct that fed Vesontio (Antique Besançon). This aqueduct, destroyed in the fifth century, was never restored. In the 19th century, in the face of population growth, the municipality revived the project: in 1837, the council adopted the conduct of the water of Arcier, followed by studies (1843-1848) and works (1850-1854). These include a new aqueduct, two châteaux d'eau (Saint-Jean and Fort Griffon), and distribution lines in the Boucle.

The Saint John reservoir, with a capacity of 2,266 m3, receives water by gravity at 262.09 m above sea level, or 8 m above the Gallo-Roman collector. Two main lines depart towards the city centre, cross the Battant Bridge, and join the reservoir at Fort Griffon. In 1879, a direct drive between the two tanks solved shortages during peak consumption. Water was chlorinated as early as 1915 and then treated at the La Malate plant from 1935.

The monument, inscribed as historical monuments since 1926, illustrates 19th century hydraulic engineering. Its masonry structure, without concrete, rests on about 60 columns supporting a horizontal cover. A Saint John fountain, integrated with the front wall, and two commemorative plaques recall its history. One of them mentioned the award of the works in 1850 and their completion in 1854, under the mandate of Mayor C. Convers.

In 2021, the remains of the Roman aqueduct were included in the inventory of historical monuments, consolidating the heritage recognition of this two-hundred-year-old hydraulic system. The water castle, owned by the commune, symbolizes both the ancient heritage and the 19th century innovations for the water supply of Besançon.

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