Charming towns and villages
In cities, houses are usually separated from the street by a courtyard. This is a tradition in eastern France. There are still some beautiful vestiges of history. In the villages, give way to the charm and majesty of the "Comtois style"! Even if there is not only one, quite the contrary. The Comtois house is above all there to resist the harsh climate of the region. The museum of the Maisons Comtoises in Nancray is the perfect place to discover this very special habitat.
Castles
In Franche-Comté, castles were used as fortifications, residences and places of social life. One thinks of the castle of Joux near Pontarlier in the Doubs, or of Gy or Vallerois-le-Bois in the Haute-Saône. Further south, in the Loue valley in particular, there are a number of castles on hillocks or hills, whose main purpose was to deter people. As time went by and the region was pacified, the castles became rich residences or fell into ruin. They bear witness to all periods of Comtoise history.
The ruins of many medieval castles are still visible: here and there, a rampart or a section of wall reminds us of the great era of lords and knights. Many "modern" castles, restructured or even rebuilt over the centuries, have replaced the primitive castles destroyed during the troubled periods of Comtoise history. It would be futile to try to find unity in their appearance or their vocation today. Erected, destroyed, reworked at different times and for different purposes, they are now mostly privately owned. Some can be visited, others cannot. Some have become luxury hostels or host receptions. There is no castle route, but wherever you go in the region, you will undoubtedly find one of these beautiful residences on your way.Religious architecture
The churches, often destroyed during the Ten Years' War in the 17th century, were rebuilt thanks to the financial resources of the Comtois cities. They are full of treasures, such as the altarpieces, the sculpted and painted decorations that sit above the altars. But the particularity of the religious buildings of the Comtois lies higher up... The bell towers in the Comtoise style are decorated with "wave" motifs. There are more than 700 typical bell towers in the region of which they have become the emblem.
There are also about fifteen abbeys, monasteries and convents.
Of course, if we mention the particularities of the Comtois in the field of religious architecture, it is impossible not to mention the Notre-Dame-du-Haut chapel in Ronchamp built by Le Corbusier in 1955.Military architecture
The history of Franche-Comté and its geographical position have shaped the landscapes and horizons. In the cities, one cannot ignore the military fortifications. See Belfort, Dole and especially Besançon, whose plans were drawn up by the great Vauban. He was inspired by other citadels to design a real urban plan, well beyond simple military fortifications.
The Citadel
The Citadel of Besançon (Unesco) overlooks the city. It is the work of Vauban (1633-1707). The first stone was laid in 1668, when the city was in Spanish possession. On 10 August 1678, the Treaty of Nijmegen attached the city and its region to the kingdom of France. Louis XIV then entrusted Vauban with the task of continuing the construction. Today, the Citadel is the symbol of the city and its major tourist attraction. The chapel houses a 15-minute multimedia projection on the history of the Citadel and Besançon. The site houses three museums: the Museum of Resistance and Deportation, the Comtois Museum and the Museum. The latter presents several animal areas. Cultural events are scheduled throughout the year. Good plan: buy your tickets online and you benefit from the reduced rate. The Museum of Resistance and Deportation is closed for a complete metamorphosis. Reopening planned for September 2022.
The castle of Joux
A stone castle at the end of the 12th century, Joux became the main residence of the Sires de Joux and their successors until 1454. On that date, the powerful Count and Duke of Burgundy Philippe le Bon bought the castle of Joux and installed a small garrison there. Under Charles V, the County of Burgundy became Spanish and remained so until the conquest of Louis XIV in 1674. It was then that the castle of Joux, a frontier place, was fortified by Vauban and soon housed several hundred soldiers. State prison under the Ancien Régime, the Revolution and the Consulate, the castle also locked up many prisoners of war throughout the Empire.
Travel back in time, from the buried fort built by Captain Joffre to the first medieval dwelling, via the vertical gallery with its astonishing spiral staircase to its vertiginous well. The fortifications of Joux are very well preserved and were regularly adapted until the end of the 19th century.
From Mirabeau, a young aristocrat who went astray, to Toussaint Louverture, the father of Haitian independence, come and meet some extraordinary characters, famous or anonymous. Let yourself be told the legends of Joux... They will take you back to the distant era of the crusades. Love, secrets and betrayals, stories that will leave a lasting impression on your memory with their scent of poetry and barbarism.
