Franche-Comté

Franche-Comté

Besançon

-Located in a meander of the Doubs River.

-Its citadel, built by Vauban, is one of the largest in Europe.

-Besaçon was the first 'green city' of France and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Franche-Comté Tourist Attractions:

http://www.interfrance.com/en/fc/fc_itineraries.html

Famous People of Franche-Comté

Divided into Four Regions

-Bordered by the Jura Mountains and Switzerland to the east, and Saône River to the west

The Lumière Brothers

-Among the first filmmakers in the entire history of filmmaking

-Born in Besançon, Doubs

-Auguste on the 19th of October 1862, Louis on the 5th of October 1864.

-They were also among the first to charge for a film viewing, creating the basis for our modern day cinema.

In the north lies the Haute Saone mostly a deeply agricultural area, with small towns and villages, low hills and valleys, but rising into the foothills of the Vosges mountains to the east.

Victor Hugo

-Was a playwright, poet, novelist and human rights activist, among many other things.

-Most known as a novelist, and wrote stories such as Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) and Les Misérables.

-He was born in Besançon, Doubs, on February 26th, 1802.

-Famous for yellow wine and Comté cheese

In the centre of the region, between the Haute-Saône and the Swiss border is the department of the Doubs, consisting of a series of plateaux and hilly ridges rising from 200 metres in the north to 1200 metres on the Swiss border

Franche-Comté

-Franche-Comté originally referred to the Free County of Burgundy. The 'Franche' part was added in 1478 to distinguish it from the neighboring Duchy of Burgundy.

In the south of the region, the department of the Jura covers part of the broad flat Saône valley, plus the central part of the Jura mountains, peaking at over 1500 metres on the Swiss border.

In the north of the region lies the smallest of all French departments (except Paris), the territoire de Belfort, an area that was for centuries the French-speaking part of Alsace. This department is quite industrialized.

Cuisine

Comté

Produced in the Jura Massif region of Eastern France. The unpasteurized cow's milk used is mainly from Montbeliarde Cattle or French simmental (or cross breeds of the two). This hard mountain cheese is matured in special caves giving the cheese gets its unique taste, texture and color. Comté is ripened for a minimum of 4 months to 18 or 24 months.

Chèvre Salée

Salted goat is a traditional dish of the Haut-Jura, served in winter, from October 15 to March 15

Poires au vin rouge

Peeled pears are cooked in red wine with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla aroma. They can be served with some cream or vanilla ice cream.