Vesoul () is a commune in the Haute-Saône

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté located in eastern France. It is the most populated municipality of the department with inhabitants in 2014. The same year, the

Communauté d'agglomération de Vesoul The Communauté d'agglomération de Vesoul is a ''communauté d'agglomération'', an intercommunal structure, in the Haute-Saône department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, eastern France. It was created in January 2012 from the former ...

which covers 20 municipalities together had inhabitants while the Urban area of Vesoul which includes 78 municipalities, had 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

PSA PSA, PsA, Psa, or psa may refer to: Biology and medicine * Posterior spinal artery * Primary systemic amyloidosis, a disease caused by the accumulation of abnormal proteins * Prostate-specific antigen, an enzyme used as a blood tracer for pros ...

parts manufacturing plant and to the

Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema The Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (French: Festival international des cinémas d'Asie) is an annual special-interest film festival focusing on the cinemas of Asia. The festival is held annually in Vesoul, France. It was create ...

. It was immortalized by

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

in his 1968 song "Vesoul". 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 fortified watchtower. The document speaks about "Castrum Vesulium". Castrum is a fortification, and "Vesulium" has the

syllable A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins (typically, consonants). Syllables are often considered the phonological "bu ...

''ves'' which meant hill or mountain in a language that was spoken before the

Celt The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...

s. Today, there is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

that forms the centre of the city. The first houses were built inside the walls of the castle. Newcomers who found no place settled outside the city walls, on the flanks of the hill. Growing wine was popular. The town was severely affected by the plague in 1586. It became part of France in 1678. In 1814, after the fall of the empire, a buffer state was created, with Vesoul as capital. The

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

was that of Free County, of the Vosges and of Porrentruy. Today, one of the main factories of PSA Peugeot Citroën is near Vesoul.

Geography

Vesoul is located in the easter part of France, about 100 kilometers away from the Germany and the

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

's 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 from Luxeuil-les-Bains, from Lure and from Gray, that are the main towns close to Vesoul. About the biggest cities in the French East region, Vesoul is located from Besançon, from Belfort and from Dijon and from Nancy. Situated at the equidistance of Dijon and Mulhouse, Vesoul is from the city of Paris. The town of Vesoul is located at the intersection of

national roads National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

N19 and N57.

Vesoul station Vesoul station ( French: ''Gare de Vesoul'') is the railway station serving the commune of Vesoul, in the Haute-Saône department of eastern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Wester ...

is on the SNCF Paris–Mulhouse railway line, and has connections with Paris, Belfort, Mulhouse and Chaumont. 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 Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...

. There are nine communes that are bordering the town of Vesoul. Vesoul is crossed by four watercourses : two rivers (

Durgeon The Durgeon () is a 42.4 km river in Haute-Saône in Franche-Comté, eastern France. It rises in Genevrey and flows generally west to join the Saône at Chemilly. The town Vesoul Vesoul () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in t ...

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 and flowing about ten kilometers from the western side of Vesoul..

Governance and politics

Mayors

Twin towns

* Gerlingen, Germany, since 1964

Administrative division

Arrondissement of Vesoul The arrondissement of Vesoul is an arrondissement of France in the Haute-Saône department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. It has 346 communes. Its population is 127,982 (2016), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondis ...

Canton of Vesoul-1 The Canton of Vesoul-1 (before March 2015: ''Vesoul-Ouest'') is a French administrative division, in the arrondissement of Vesoul, in Haute-Saône ''département'' (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté ''région''). It consists of the western part of the com ...

Canton of Vesoul-2 The Canton of Vesoul-2 (before March 2015: ''Vesoul-Est'') is a French administrative division, in the arrondissement of Vesoul, in Haute-Saône ''département'' (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté ''région''). It consists of the eastern part of the commu ...

Population and society

Jean-Michel Nicolier Jean-Michel Nicollier (1 July 1966 – 20 November 1991) was a French volunteer and Croatian soldier in the Croatian War of Independence who was killed in the Vukovar massacre. Early years Nicollier was born on 1 July 1966 in Vesoul, France to h ...

( 1 July 1966 – 20/21 November 1991), French volunteer in the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...

who was killed in the

Vukovar massacre The Vukovar massacre, also known as the Vukovar hospital massacre or the Ovčara massacre, was the killing of Croatian prisoners of war and civilians by Serb paramilitaries, to whom they had been turned over by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), ...

Sophie Bouillon Sophie Bouillon (born 1984, Vesoul) is a French journalist. Biography She worked as a correspondent based in Johannesburg from 2008 to 2013 for ''Libération'', ''Courrier International'' and Radio Télévision Suisse in particular, before worki ...

(born 1984), independent journalist, winner of the 2009

Albert Londres Prize The Albert Londres Prize is the highest French journalism award, named in honor of journalist Albert Londres. Created in 1932, it was first awarded in 1933 and is considered the French equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. Three laureates are awarded ...

Demography

Media

''Vesoul'' is also the name of a song by

from 1968, a fast-paced waltz during the recording of which Brel famously yelled "Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!" ("heat up, Marcel, heat up!") at his

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

ist,

Marcel Azzola Marcel Azzola (10 July 1927 – 21 January 2019) was a French accordionist. He performed with Stan Getz and Jacques Brel, among others. The famous line "" ("Heat up, Marcel") in Brel's song "Vésoul" refers to Azzola, who played the accordion d ...

. The town is also mentioned facetiously in the satirical rap ''Fous ta cagoule'' by

Michael Youn Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

."Fous ta Cagoule" by Fatal Bazooka--English Translation
/ref>

Sport

Vesoul Haute-Saône Football Club de Vesoul is a French association football team founded in 1921. They are based in Vesoul, France and are currently playing in the Championnat de France Amateurs Group A. They play at the Stade René Hologne in Vesoul Vesoul () ...

, football club *

Stade René Hologne Stade René Hologne is a stadium located in Vesoul, in Haute-Saône (France). It is the home stadium of the football club Vesoul Haute-Saône Football Club de Vesoul is a French association football team founded in 1921. They are based in Ves ...

* Cercle de Judo de Vesoul, Judo club with a competitors section

Education

Vesoul 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.
A Council of Student Life (CVE), led by the Officer in charge of Higher Education, was established in 2011. It offers activities to stimulate student life. In all, Vesoul has 10,000 students. All schools and studies in Vesoul

Culture and heritage

Monuments and tourist attractions

* ''Vieux Vesoul'' (Old Vesoul) (buildings from the 15th, 16th and 18th centuries and ''Garret'' Museum) * Site of Vesoul's Motte * Site of the Sabot de Frotey * Lake of Vesoul - Vaivre * Vesoul-Vaivre Vélo-rail * Convent of the Ursulines (17th century) *

St. George's Church, Vesoul The St. George's Church, Vesoul is a church in Vesoul, in France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas an ...

Gare de Vesoul Vesoul station ( French: ''Gare de Vesoul'') is the railway station serving the commune of Vesoul, in the Haute-Saône department of eastern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Wester ...

* PSA Vesoul Plant * Synagogue of Vesoul *

Musée Georges-Garret The Musée Georges-Garret or Georges-Garret Museum is located in the city of Vesoul, in the Haute-Saône departement of eastern France. The museum was created in 1882, and since 1981 has been installed in a former 17th-century Ursuline convent, c ...

Notre-Dame-de-la-Motte Notre Dame de la Motte is a chapel located at the top of the hill de la Motte, in Vesoul (France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions ...

Paul Morel Hospital Paul Morel Hospital is an ancient hospital located in Vesoul, France. It is located at 41 Avebye Arustude Briand, 70000 Vesoul, France. It was in operation from 1938 to 2009. Paul Morel was the mayor of Vesoul from 1908 to 1933. File:Vesoul H� ...

Lac de Vesoul - Vaivre Lac is the resinous secretion of a number of species of lac insects, of which the most commonly cultivated is '' Kerria lacca''. Cultivation begins when a farmer gets a stick that contains eggs ready to hatch and ties it to the tree to be infe ...

Festival

Library

The first public library of Vesoul opened in 1771. The ''abbé'' (abbot) Bardenet, superior of the Saint-Esprit

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

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

incunable In the history of printing, an incunable or incunabulum (plural incunables or incunabula, respectively), is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. Incunabula were pr ...

Areas

Notable people

* Jean-Léon Gérôme * Raymond Aubrac * Édouard Belin * Edwige Feuillère * Charles Grandmougin * Arthur Constantin Krebs *

Laurent Mangel Laurent Mangel (born 22 May 1981 in Vesoul, Haute-Saône) is a French former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2014 for the , and teams. Major results ;2004 : 1st Overall Tour Nord Isère ::1st Points clas ...

Jean Pierre Marie Orchampt Jean Pierre Marie Orchampt (9 December 1923 – 21 August 2021) was a French prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Prior to his death, he was the oldest living bishop from France, at the age of 97. Orchampt was born in Vesoul and was ordained a ...

Robert Schurrer Robert Schurrer (24 March 1890 – 27 November 1972) was a French sprinter, who competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics. He won a silver medal in the 4×400 metre relay and failed to reach the finals of individual Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympi ...

* Stéphane Peterhansel * Albert Cartier *

Abel Khaled Abel Khaled (born 9 November 1992) is a French-Algerian footballer who plays as an right winger for CSO Amnéville in the Championnat National 3. Career SR Delémont Khaled signed with SR Delémont on 28 November 2018.Jean-Baptiste Humbert Jean-Baptiste Humbert (born 8 December 1940) is a French archaeologist who has excavated in Jordan, Palestine, Iran and Israel. He is of the order of the Dominicans and is director of the Archaeology Laboratory of the École Biblique in Jerusalem ...

Alain Joyandet Alain Joyandet (born 15 January 1954) is a French politician who was appointed Secretary of State for Cooperation and Francophony in the government of François Fillon from 18 March 2008 to July 2010. Prior to that, he was CEO of the Sociét� ...

* Yves Krattinger * Mickaël Ravaux * Jean-Xavier Bureau de Pusy *

Georges Cogniot Georges Cogniot (15 December 1901 in Montigny-lès-Cherlieu, Haute-Saône – 12 March 1978) was a French writer, philosopher and politician of the French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF' ...

* Théodule-Armand Ribot *

Albert Mathiez Albert-Xavier-Émile Mathiez (; 10 January 1874 – 25 February 1932) was a French historian, best known for his Marxist interpretation of the French Revolution. Mathiez emphasized class conflict. He argued that 1789 pitted the bourgeoisie against ...

Jean Peyrière Jean Peyrière (born Marie Henri Georges Jean Vaysse, 10 October 1885 – 7 September 1965) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in several popular serial films during his career. Biography Jean Peyrière was born Marie Henri Georges ...

Julien Casoli Julien Casoli (born 5 July 1982) is a Paralympian athlete, from Vesoul, France competing mainly in category T54 sprint events. Julien competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing where he competed in the 400m, 800m and 1500m and was a m ...

* Amédée Simon Dominique Thierry *

Affo Erassa Affo Omorou Erassa (born 19 February 1983) is a Togolese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Erassa was born in Lomé. He previously played for Clermont Foot in Ligue 2 and AS Moulins in the Championnat Natio ...

Jean Compagnon Jean Compagnon (26 October 1916 – 4 November 2010) was a French officer and Général de corps d'armée. Biography Early life Jean, Georges, André Compagnon was the son of colonel Marcel Compagnon and Lucie Dehesdin. He conducted his s ...

Cédric Si Mohamed Cédric Si Mohamed (born 9 January 1985) is a professional footballer who most recently played as goalkeeper for CA Bordj Bou Arréridj in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1. International career On 2 October 2009, France-born Si Mohamed was ...

Katty Piejos Katty Tolla Piejos, (born 21 August 1981 in La Trinité, Martinique, French West Indies) is a French handball player. Teams * Réveil Sportif (Gros-Morne, Martinique), 1993-2001 * Havre Athletic Club Handball, 2001-2004 * Metz Handball M ...

* Vincent Luis *

Frédéric Vichot Frédéric Vichot (born 1 May 1959 in Valay) is a French former professional road bicycle racer, who won one stage in the Vuelta a España and two stages in the Tour de France. He is the uncle of racing cyclist Arthur Vichot. Major results ;197 ...

Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret (7 January 1852 – 3 July 1929), was one of the leading French artists of the naturalist school. Biography He was born in Paris, the son of a tailor, and was raised by his grandfather after his father ...

* Jean-Michel Nicollier *

Pape Mamadou Diouf Pape Mamadou Diouf (born 31 December 1982) is a Senegalese former professional footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association footbal ...

Roger Munier Roger Munier (21 December 1923, Nancy – 10 August 2010, Vesoul) was a French writer and translator. From 1953, Munier was one of the first to translate into French the work of his master and friend, the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889� ...

Jean-Joseph Gaume Jean-Joseph Gaume (5 May 1802 – 19 November 1879) was a French Roman Catholic theologian and author. Life Gaume was born at Fuans, Franche-Comté. While attached to the Diocese of Nevers, he was successively professor of theology, direct ...

Awards

* Vesoul inaugurated the first Cyber Base France in 1999 * Voted "most athletic city of France" in 2001 * Labeled "Child Friendly City" by UNICEF in 2006. This label was renewed in 2009. * Labeled "friendly and inclusive City" in 2010 * Labeled "Cities and villages in bloom" and has 3 flowers * Labeled "QualiTri Collection" in 2012 * Vesoul is the second city in France to obtain ISO 14001 certification

References

External links

Official website

Proxoo.com – Site about the city center
{{Authority control Communes of Haute-Saône Prefectures in France Sequani