Vesoul ( ) is a commune in the predominantly rural Haute-Saône department, of which it is the prefecture, or capital, 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, which covers 20 municipalities, together had inhabitants, while its urban area, comprising 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.
The main urban center of the department, Vesoul is also home to a major Groupe PSA parts manufacturing plant and to the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema. It was immortalized by Jacques Brel in his 1968 song "Vesoul".
History
Vesoul is first mentioned in a document dated 899. That document describes an elevation with a
motte-and-bailey and speaks of "Castrum Vesulium". Castrum is a
fortification, and "Vesulium" has the
syllable ves which meant hill or mountain in a language that was spoken before the
. 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 was popular.
The town was severely affected by the plague in 1586. It became part of France in 1678.[ Columbia Encyclopedia 6th Edition (2000), Columbia University Press, p.2983.]
In 1814, after the fall of the empire, a buffer state was created, with Vesoul as capital. The principality 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 eastern part of France, about 100 kilometers away from the
Germany and the
Switzerland border and between the
Jura Mountains and the
Vosges's mountain ranges. Vesoul is also situated in the center of the Haute-Saône, which is in the north of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. In of this region, Vesoul is included in the
Pays de Vesoul et du Val de Saône, a geographic region composed of the Vesoul's area and the northern part of the river Saône.
By road, Vesoul is from Luxeuil-les-Bains, from Lure and from Gray, which are the main towns close to Vesoul. Relative to the bigger cities in the French East region, Vesoul is located from Besançon, from Belfort, from Dijon, and from Nancy.
The Vesoul area is also included in the Pôle métropolitain Centre Franche-Comté which is a government structure unifying the biggest areas of central Franche-Comté. Nine communes border the town of Vesoul.
Vesoul is crossed by four watercourses : two rivers (Durgeon and Colombine) and two streams (Vaugine and Méline). All four are tributaries and sub-tributaries of the Saône, the fourth longest river in France at 473 kilometers long and a tributary of the Rhone,[.] which flows at about ten kilometers from the western side of Vesoul.[.]
Governance and politics
Mayors
Twin towns
Administrative division
-
Arrondissement of Vesoul
-
Canton of Vesoul-1
-
Canton of Vesoul-2
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
Media
Vesoul 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
,
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]
Sport
-
FC Vesoul, 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
Kindergarten
-
Kindergarten Small
-
Kindergarten Saint Exupery
-
Kindergarten Montmarin II
-
Kindergarten Bank
-
Kindergarten Jean Morel
-
Kindergarten the Grand Sleet
-
Kindergarten Stadium
-
Kindergarten Lafayette
| Valign = "top" style = "font-size: 90%" |
Primary School
-
Elementary School South ERfKE
-
Elementary School Pablo Picasso-
-
Boulevard Elementary School
-
Elementary school-Henri Matisse
-
Elementary School Stadium
-
Elementary School of Luxembourg
-
Elementary School of Marteroy
| Valign = "top" style = "font-size: 90%" |
Public College
-
College Jean-Leon Gerome
-
College Jean-Macé
-
College-Jacques Brel
-
College René-Cassin
Private College
| Valign = "top" style = "font-size: 90%" |
General and Technical High School
-
The School Haberges
-
Lycée Edouard Belin
-
LEGTA Munier-Etienne
Vocational College
-
High School Pontarcher
-
High School Luxembourg
Apprentice Training Centre
| Valign = "top" style = "font-size: 90%" |
Studies senior
-
IUT (University Institute of Technology)
-
IUFM (University Institute of Teacher Training)
-
IFSM (Institute of Nursing Education)
-
CGE (School of Management and Commerce)
|
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
-
Gare de Vesoul
-
PSA Vesoul Plant
-
Synagogue of Vesoul
-
Musée Georges-Garret
-
Notre-Dame-de-la-Motte
-
Paul Morel Hospital
-
Lac de Vesoul - Vaivre
Festival
-
Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
Library
The 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
Monastery 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
. 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 .
Areas
Neighborhoods
-
Rêpes-Pontarcher
-
Grand Montmarin
-
Vesoul Ouest
-
Vesoul Centre Nord-Saint-Ferjeux
-
Grand Grésil
-
Stade
-
Vesoul Centre Sud
-
Jean Jaurès-Petit-Banque
| valign="top" style="font-size : 10%" |
Sectors :
-
Vieux-Vesoul
-
Les Bains
-
Pontarcher
-
Taillevanne
-
Haberges
-
Saint-Martin
-
Grand Miselot
-
Saint-Maur
-
Luxembourg
| valign="top" style="font-size : 10%" |
Commercial areas :
-
Espace de la Motte
-
Pôle Santé de Vesoul
-
Oasis
-
Kennedy
-
Halles de Vesoul
-
Paul-Morel
| valign="top" style="font-size : 10%" |
Industrial areas :
-
Vesoul Technologia
-
PSA
-
Poincaré
-
Les Saussis
| valign="top" style="font-size : 10%" |
Spaces :
-
La Motte
-
Jardin anglais
-
Plateau de Cita
-
Les Rives du Lac
-
Sabot de Frotey
|
Notable people
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
Climate
See also
-
Communes of the Haute-Saône department
-
Sabot de Frotey National Nature Reserve
External links
