Briançon (, ) is the sole
subprefecture
A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province.
Albania
There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...
of the
Hautes-Alpes
Hautes-Alpes (; ; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population ...
department in the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in Southeastern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It is the highest city in France at an altitude of , based on the national definition as a community containing more than 2,000 inhabitants. Its most recent population estimate is 11,084 (as of 2018) for the
commune.
Briançon has been part of the
Fortifications of Vauban UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
s since they were established in 2008.
History
Briançon was the ''Brigantium'' of the Romans and formed part of the kingdom of
King Cottius. Brigantium was marked as the first place in
Gallia after
Alpis Cottia (
Mont Genèvre). At Brigantium the road branched, to the west through
Grenoble
Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
to ''Vienna'' (modern
Vienne), on the
Rhone; to the south through ''Ebrodunum'' (modern
Embrun), to ''Vapincum'' (modern
Gap). Both the
Antonine Itinerary and the
Table give the route from Brigantium to Vapincum. The Table places Brigantium 6 M.P. from Alpis Cottia.
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...
[Strabo, iv.] mentions the village Brigantium on a road to Alpis Cottia, but his words are obscure.
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
mentions Brigantium as within the limits of the
Segusini
The Segusini (Gaulish: *''Segusinoi'', 'those of Segusio') were a Gauls, Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Susa, Piedmont, Susa, in the Alpes Cottiae, during the La Tène culture, Iron Age.
Name
They are mentioned as ''Segosianō̃n'' (Σε ...
, or people of ''Segusio'' (modern
Susa
Susa ( ) was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh River, Karkheh and Dez River, Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital o ...
), in
Piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
; but it seems, as
D'Anville observes, to be beyond the natural limits of the Segusini. Walckenaer (vol. i. p. 540) justifies Ptolemy in this matter by supposing that he follows a description of Italy made before the new divisions of
Augustus
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
, which we know from
Pliny. Walckenaer also supports his justification of Ptolemy by the
Jerusalem Itinerary, which makes the
Alpes Cottiae commence at
Rama
Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...
(near modern
La Roche-de-Rame) between Embrun and Briançon.
In the 1040s it came into the hands of the
counts of Albon and thenceforth shared the fate of the
Dauphiné
The Dauphiné ( , , ; or ; or ), formerly known in English as Dauphiny, is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was ...
. The Briançonnais included not only the upper valley of the Durance (with those of its affluents, the Gyronde and the Guil) but also the valley of the Dora Riparia (Césanne, Oulx, Bardonnèche and Exilles) and that of the Chisone (Fénestrelles, Pérouse, Pragelas). The glens all lay on the eastern slope of the chain of the Alps. However the
Treaty of Utrecht (1713) handed all of those valleys to Savoy in exchange for that of Barcelonnette, on the west slope of the Alps. In 1815 Briançon successfully withstood a siege of three months at the hands of the Allies, a feat commemorated by an inscription on one of its gates, ''Le passé répond de l'avenir'' ("The past guarantees the future").
Demographics
Geography
Briançon is located near the
Italian border, in the
Serre Chevalier ski area. It is built on a plateau centred on the confluence of the
Durance and the
Guisane rivers.
Briançon station has rail connections to Gap, Marseille, Valence and Paris.
Climate
Due to its elevation, Briançon features a
warm-summer humid continental climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Dfb''), bordering on an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(''Cfb'') under the
Köppen system. Summers are warm with cool nights, and winters are cold and snowy.
Sights
The historical centre is a strongly fortified town, built by
Vauban to defend the region from
Austrians
Austrians (, ) are the citizens and Nationality, nationals of Austria. The English term ''Austrians'' was applied to the population of Archduchy of Austria, Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, ...
in the 17th century. Its streets are very steep and narrow, though picturesque. Briançon lies at the foot of the descent from the
Col de Montgenèvre, giving access to Turin, so a great number of other fortifications have been constructed on the surrounding heights, especially towards the east. The
Fort Janus is no less than 1,200 m. above the town.
The parish church, with its two towers, was built 1703–1726, and occupies a very conspicuous position.
The Pont d'Asfeld, east of the town, was built in 1734, and forms an arch of 40 m span, thrown at a height of 56 m across the Durance.
The modern town extends in the plain at the southwest foot of the plateau on which the old town is built and forms the suburb of Ste Catherine.
Briançon is close to the
Parc National des Ecrins and the
Vallée de la Clarée.
On 8 July 2008, several buildings of Briançon were classified by the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
as
World Heritage Sites
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
, as part of the "
Fortifications of Vauban" group. These buildings are: the city walls, Redoute des Salettes, Fort des Trois-Têtes, Fort du Randouillet, ''ouvrage de la communication Y'' and the Asfeld Bridge. Along with Briançon, 11 other sites of fortified buildings in France were classified. Among them is the ''place-forte'' of
Mont-Dauphin, also in the Hautes-Alpes department. These pieces of art were designed by Sébastien Le Prestre de
Vauban (1633–1707), a military engineer of
King Louis XIV.
Notable people
The following people were either born in Briançon or lived there for a significant portion of their lives.

*
Aymon de Briançon (died 1211) a Burgundian nobleman, Carthusian monk and
Archbishop of Tarentaise
*
Oronce Finé (1494–1555), mathematician and cartographer
*
Jean-Antoine Morand (1727–1794), architect and urban planner, he was guillotined
*
Augustin Chenu (1833–1875), painter, known for his local landscapes and hunting scenes.
*
Albert Achard (1894–1972), a flying ace of the First World War
*
Emilie Carles (1900–1979), a French writer and activist.
*
Frédérique Lucien (born 1960), a visual artist, works in drawing, painting and ceramics.
*
Jean-Christophe Keck (born 1964), musicologist, conductor and specialist on
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach (; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ''The Tales of Hoffmann''. He was a p ...
*
Xavier Mortimer (born 1980), magician and variety performer in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
*
Giovanni Tamburrini (born 1982), world traveler, former law professor, owner of Seoul's premier authentic Italian restaurant in Beotigeo-gae, Seoul.
Sport

*
Jules Melquiond (born 1941), Alpine ski racer
*
Henry Bréchu (born 1947), Alpine ski racer
*
Luc Alphand (born 1965), Alpine ski racer and a racing-car driver.
* (born 1975), Alpine ski racer
*
Nicolas Bonnet (born 1984), ski mountaineer and runner.
*
Pierre Vaultier (born 1987), a snowboard cross twice gold medallist at the
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and
2018 Winter Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...
*
Laure Barthélémy (born 1988), cross-country skier and soldier
*
Richard Jouve (born 1994), cross-country skier, twice team bronze medallist at the
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
and
2022 Winter Olympics
The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...
International relations
Briançon is
twinned with:
*
Rosenheim,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
*
Susa
Susa ( ) was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh River, Karkheh and Dez River, Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital o ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
Sport
Cycling
Briançon has often hosted starts and finishes of stages of the
Tour de France,
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
and
Dauphiné Libéré. In
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
stage 18 of the Tour de France started here.
As Briançon has regularly featured as a stage town in the
Tour de France, it is a popular base for cyclists. Since 1947, the town has been the start point for a stage of the Tour 22 times, and has also been a stage finish 22 times.
In
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, the town was the finish of the stage 9 on 17 July from
Val-d'Isère
Val-d'Isère (, literally ''Valley of Isère (river), Isère'') is a Communes of France, commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie Departments of France, department (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region) in southeastern France. It ...
crossing the
Col de l'Iseran, the
Col du Télégraphe and the
Col du Galibier with a downhill finish to Briançon.
Ice hockey
The
Diables Rouges de Briançon play in the
Ligue Magnus, the French top league.
Kayaking
Briançon is situated around the confluence of the Durance river and its tributary the Guisane which are fed with snow melt in the Spring. Tourists come from around Europe to
kayak
]
A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...
and
raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barre ...
on the resultant
whitewater
Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...
rivers and their tributaries, including the Onde, the Gyronde, the
Guil, the Rabioux, the
Ubaye and others; often basing themselves in Briançon.

Popular
white water rivers in the Alps are mainly medium volume
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
-fed rivers with long continuous rapids and few big drops. The season is short (two or three months in early summer when the snow and glaciers are melting) but the whitewater is reliable during this period.
Skiing
Briançon is the base and lowest altitude station of the large
Serre Chevalier ski resort. Most of the city's accommodation is used exclusively in winter, the population tripling during that period.
See also
*
Communes of the Hautes-Alpes department
The following is a list of the 162 communes of the Hautes-Alpes department of France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include ...
References
Literature
*
*
External links
About the city of Briançon
Tourist office website
Unofficial town website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Briancon
Communes of Hautes-Alpes
Subprefectures in France
Dauphiné
Hautes-Alpes communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia
Vauban fortifications in France