Vesoul () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in Eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

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 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 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 A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

, and "Vesulium" has the syllable ''ves'' which meant hill or mountain in a language that was spoken before the Celts. Today, there is a castle 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 Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

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 A buffer state is a country geographically lying between two rival or potentially hostile great powers. Its existence can sometimes be thought to prevent conflict between them. A buffer state is sometimes a mutually agreed upon area lying between ...

was created, with Vesoul as capital. The principality was that of

Free County Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procure ...

, of the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

and of

Porrentruy Porrentruy (, fc, Poérreintru , german: Pruntrut) is a Swiss municipality and seat of the district of the same name located in the canton of Jura. Porrentruy is home to National League team, HC Ajoie. History The first trace of human pre ...

. Today, one of the main

factories A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...

PSA Peugeot Citroën The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...

is near Vesoul.

Geography

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

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the Switzerland's border and between the Jura and the

's mountain ranges. Vesoul is also situated in the center of the

Haute-Saône Haute-Saône (; Arpitan: ''Hiôta-Sona''; English: Upper Saône) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France. Named after the river Saône, it had a population of 235,313 in 2019.Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in Eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

. 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 The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name ...

. By the road, Vesoul is from

Luxeuil-les-Bains Luxeuil-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. History Luxeuil (sometimes rendered Luxeu in older texts) was the Roman Luxovium and contained many fine buildings a ...

, from Lure and from

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

, that are the main towns close to Vesoul. About the biggest cities in the French East region, Vesoul is located from

Besançon Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzer ...

, from

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...

and from

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

and from Nancy. Situated at the equidistance of

and

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning '' mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region, eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. It is the largest city in Haut-Rhin and second largest in Alsace a ...

, Vesoul is from the city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. The town of Vesoul is located at the intersection of national roads 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. 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

, 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 Gerlingen (Swabian: ''Gaerlenge'') is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 9 km west of Stuttgart, and 15 km southwest of Ludwigsburg. Gerlingen is home to Bosch, a major engineering and ...

, Germany, since 1964

Administrative division

* Arrondissement of Vesoul *

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 hi ...

( 1 July 1966 – 20/21 November 1991), French volunteer in the Croatian War of Independence who was killed in the Vukovar massacre *

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.

Demography

Media

''Vesoul'' is also the name of a song by Jacques Brel from 1968, a fast-paced

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

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."Fous ta Cagoule" by Fatal Bazooka--English Translation
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Sport

* Vesoul Haute-Saône, football club * Stade René Hologne * 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 A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

) * 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 *

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 * Notre-Dame-de-la-Motte *

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

Festival

Library

The first public

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

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

, gave his book collection to the town. There were 1772 books. The collections became a lot larger with the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. At that time, the revolutionaries (people who led the French Revolution) took the books from the

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

of the town (''capucins'') and even of the

(''Luxeuil'' and ''Faverney'' monasteries). Around 20,000 books were added to the library this way, including some 11th century

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

s. The

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

's office was responsible for keeping the books. In 1981, the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

decided to build a new

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fu ...

to encourage the public to read. The library was recently equipped with computers. There are around 200 manuscripts and 150 incunables.

Areas

Notable people

Jean-Léon Gérôme Jean-Léon Gérôme (11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living artist by 1880." The ra ...

Raymond Aubrac Raymond Aubrac (31 July 1914 – 10 April 2012) was a leader of the French Resistance during the Second World War and a civil engineer after the Second World War. Early life Aubrac was born Raymond Samuel into a middle-class Jewish family in Ves ...

Édouard Belin Édouard Belin (5 March 1876 – 4 March 1963) was a French photographer and inventor. In 1907 Belin invented a phototelegraphic apparatus called the Bélinographe (télestéréographe)—a system for receiving photographs over telephone ...

Edwige Feuillère Edwige Feuillère (born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti; October 29, 1907 – November 13, 1998) was a French stage and film actress. Biography She was born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti to an Italian architect father and an Alsace-born mo ...

Charles Grandmougin Charles-Jean Grandmougin (17 January 1850 – 28 April 1930) was a French poet and playwright. He lived in Paris. Two of his poems appeared in the third and final volume of ''Le Parnasse contemporain'' (1876). His poetry has been set ...

Arthur Constantin Krebs Arthur Constantin Krebs (16 November 1850 in Vesoul, France – 22 March 1935 in Quimperlé, France) was a French officer and pioneer in automotive engineering. Life Collaborating with Charles Renard, he piloted the first fully controll ...

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 * Robert Schurrer *

Stéphane Peterhansel Stéphane Peterhansel (born 6 August 1965 in Échenoz-la-Méline, Haute-Saône) is a rally driver from France. He holds the record for wins at the Dakar Rally, with 14 victories. In the 2018 season he was one of the official drivers of the Team P ...

Albert Cartier Albert Cartier (born 22 November 1960) is a French professional football manager and former player. Coaching career Cartier was fired by FC Brussels in January 2008 for bad results and did not reach a new agreement with RAEC Mons. On 12 Januar ...

* Abel Khaled *

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 Jerusale ...

* Alain Joyandet * Yves Krattinger * Mickaël Ravaux *

Jean-Xavier Bureau de Pusy Jean-Xavier Bureau de Pusy (7 January 1750, at Port-sur-Saône in the department of Haute-Saône – 2 February 1806, in Genoa, Italy) was a French military engineer and politician, during the French Revolution. Political career Deputy of nobi ...

* Georges Cogniot *

Théodule-Armand Ribot Théodule-Armand Ribot (18 December 18399 December 1916) was a French psychologist. He was born at Guingamp, and was educated at the Lycée de St Brieuc. He is known as the founder of scientific psychology in France, and gave his name to Ribot's ...

* Albert Mathiez * Jean Peyrière * Julien Casoli *

Amédée Simon Dominique Thierry Amédée is a French masculine forename. Notable people with the forename include: Persons * Amédée, stage name of Philippe de Chérisey (1923-1985), French writer, radio humorist, surrealist and actor *Amédée Artus (1815-1892), French condu ...

* Affo Erassa * Jean Compagnon * Cédric Si Mohamed * Katty Piejos *

Vincent Luis Vincent Luis (born 27 June 1989 in Vesoul, France) is a French professional triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathlet ...

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 ; ...

* Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret * Jean-Michel Nicollier * Pape Mamadou Diouf *

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, direc ...

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