The leading French green city with 204 m2 of green space per inhabitant, the regional capital offers all the administrative, commercial, social and financial services necessary for businesses and their employees.
Wood-fired central heating, clean methods of transport with one of the most developed networks of buses in France and with the forthcoming arrival of the Tramway, inter-modality, waste sorting and water preservation, Greater Besançon Takes good care of its environment but does not forget its people...
Path, cycling tracks, the Nantes-Budapest Euro cycle route and a protected valley allow everyone to make the most of this precious greenery.
The city of Besançon is classed as the second regional capital of France in terms of accessibility to public places by persons of reduced mobility.
Besançon has more than 2000 years of history. 180 monuments bear witness to several schools of architecture and are therefore listed or registered as Historic Monuments.
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Built four centuries ago, the Vauban citadel still seems to watch over the old town of Besançon enclosed in a loop of the Doubs. This site emblematic of Vauban’s work now houses the Museum of the Resistance, the Comtois Museum and the Museum of Natural History. FOR MORE INFORMATION |
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The Museum of Fine Arts, housed in the Granvelle Renaissance palace, is the oldest in France. Created in 1664, it is the first example of a museum in France. |
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Around major events such as the International Music Festival and the International Competition for Young Conductors, with three national stages, public partners and associations offer throughout the year concerts, performances, and exhibitions ... that make the town a lively cultural center. |
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The "City of Arts and Culture" will include both the Regional Fund of Contemporary Art (FRAC) and the Regional Conservatory. It will play a key role for contemporary art, music, dance and drama. |
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On the opposite bank, "The Rodia", a hall for contemporary music, enriches the dissemination of culture.
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Economic area of 250,000 inhabitants
95 000 salaried jobs
30 000 students
A pool of 10 900 businesses and institutions
75 hectares of activity spaces immediately available for businesses
Besançon is at the head of the Network of major Vauban sites for classification of its historic building as a UNESCO world heritage site. This association, created in 2005, federates the 12 Vauban fortifications classified as world heritage sites since 2008. Besançon was selected in respect of its Citadelle, more than 200 years old, built by Vauban in 1711.