Vesoul
Vesoul | |
---|---|
Prefecture and commune | |
Coordinates: 47°37′23″N 6°09′21″E / 47.6231°N 06.1558°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté |
Department | Haute-Saône |
Arrondissement | Vesoul |
Canton | Vesoul-1 and 2 |
Intercommunality | CA Vesoul |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Alain Chrétien[1] |
Area 1 | 9.07 km2 (3.50 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 15,130 |
• Density | 1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 70550 /70000 |
Elevation | 213–375 m (699–1,230 ft) (avg. 220 m or 720 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Vesoul (French pronunciation: [vəzul] ⓘ) is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté located in eastern France.
It is the most populated municipality of the department with 15,212 inhabitants in 2014. The same year, the Communauté d'agglomération de Vesoul which covers 20 municipalities together had 34,310 inhabitants while the Urban area of Vesoul which includes 78 municipalities, had 59,244 inhabitants. Its inhabitants are known in French as Vésuliens.
Built on top of the hill of La Motte in the first millennium under the name of Castrum Vesulium, the city gradually evolved into a European commercial and economic center. At the end of the Middle Ages, the city experienced a challenging period beset with plagues, epidemics, and localized conflict.
Main urban center of the department, Vesoul is also home to a major
The town is the capital of the department of Haute-Saône.
History
Vesoul is first mentioned in a document dated 899. That document speaks about an elevation with a
The town was severely affected by the plague in 1586. It became part of France in 1678.[3]
In 1814, after the fall of the empire, a
Today, one of the main
Geography
Vesoul is located in the eastern part of France, about 100 kilometers away from the Germany and the Switzerland border and between the Jura and the Vosges's mountain ranges. Vesoul is also situated in the center of the Haute-Saône, which is in the nord of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Inside of this region, Vesoul is included in the Pays de Vesoul et du Val de Saône, a geographical region composing of the Vesoul's area and the northern part of the river Saône.
By the road, Vesoul is 32 kilometres (20 mi) from
The area of Vesoul is also included in the Pôle métropolitain Centre Franche-Comté which is a government structure unifying the biggest areas of central Franche-Comté. There are nine communes that are bordering the town of Vesoul.
Vesoul is crossed by four watercourses : two rivers (Durgeon and Colombine) and two streams (Vaugine and Méline). All of them are tributaries and sub-tributaries of the Saône, the fourth longest river in France with 473 kilometers long[5] and flowing about ten kilometers from the western side of Vesoul.[6]
Governance and politics
Mayors
Twin towns
- Gerlingen, Germany, since 1964
Administrative division
Population and society
- Jean-Michel Nicolier ( 1 July 1966 – 20/21 November 1991), French volunteer in the Croatian War of Independence who was killed in the Vukovar massacre
- Sophie Bouillon (born 1984), independent journalist, winner of the 2009 Albert Londres Prize.
Demography
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MediaVesoul is also the name of a song by Jacques Brel from 1968, a fast-paced waltz during the recording of which Brel famously yelled "Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!" ("heat up, Marcel, heat up!") at his accordionist, Marcel Azzola. The town is also mentioned facetiously in the satirical rap Fous ta cagoule by Michael Youn.[9]
Sport
EducationVesoul has schools of higher education. The city has 1,200 students divided between an IUT, an IUFM, an Institute of Nursing Training, a School of Management and Commerce and BTS. All schools and studies in Vesoul
Culture and heritageMonuments and tourist attractions
FestivalLibraryThe first public library of Vesoul opened in 1771. The abbé (abbot) Bardenet, superior of the Saint-Esprit hospital in Besançon, gave his book collection to the town. There were 1772 books. The collections became a lot larger with the Revolution. At that time, the revolutionaries (people who led the French Revolution) took the books from the monasteries of the town (capucins) and even of the region (Luxeuil and Faverney monasteries). Around 20,000 books were added to the library this way, including some 11th century manuscripts. The Mayor's office was responsible for keeping the books. In 1981, the municipality decided to build a new building to encourage the public to read. The library was recently equipped with computers. There are around 200 manuscripts and 150 incunables. Areas
Notable people
Awards
See alsoReferences
External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to Vesoul.
|