Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Populations légales 2019: 25 Doubs
INSEE Its prefecture is Besançon and subprefectures are Montbéliard and Pontarlier.

History

As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the northern two-thirds of Doubs spoke

Franc-Comtois Frainc-Comtou (french: franc-comtois) is a Romance language of the ''langues d'oïl'' language family spoken in the Franche-Comté region of France and in the Canton of Jura and Bernese Jura Bernese Jura (french: Jura bernois, ) is the name f ...

, a dialect of the '' langues d'oïl''. Residents of the southern third of Doubs spoke a dialect of the Arpitan language. Both languages co-existed with French, the official language of law and commerce, and continued to be spoken frequently in rural areas into the 20th century. They are both still spoken today but not on a daily basis. Doubs was important as a portal to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

through the pass at Cluse de Pontarlier. Many famous people, including Mirabeau,

Toussaint Louverture François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (; also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda; 20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803) was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louverture ...

and Heinrich von Kleist, were imprisoned in the Château de Joux. Doubs is one of the original 83 departments created during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Franche-Comté. The prefecture (capital) is Besançon. In 1793, the republic of Mandeure was annexed by France and incorporated into the department. This district was passed between various territories and departments in the ensuing administrative reorganisations and wars, but was restored to Doubs in 1816 when the former principality of Montbéliard was also added to the department. However, the commune of

Le Cerneux-Péquignot Le Cerneux-Péquignot is a municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. History Le Cerneux-Péquignot is first mentioned in the 13th century in connection with the Pequignot of Montlebon family. Geography Le Cerneux-Péquignot has a ...

was annexed by the Canton of Neuchâtel under the terms of the 1814 Treaty of Paris, and since remained Swiss territory. Between the defeat of France at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Sevent ...

and November 1818, Doubs was included in the area occupied by

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

troops.

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

Gustave Courbet Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( , , ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and ...

, Armand Peugeot,

Auguste and Louis Lumière The Lumière brothers (, ; ), Auguste Lumière, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas Lumière (19 October 1862 – 10 April 1954) and Louis Lumière, Louis Jean Lumière (5 October 1864 – 6 June 1948), were French manufacturers of photography equipment ...

and

Frank Darabont Frank Árpád Darabont (born Ferenc Árpád Darabont, January 28, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In his early career, he was primarily a ...

are among the famous people born in Doubs.

Geography

Doubs is part of the current region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and is surrounded by the French departments of Jura, Haute-Saône, and Territoire de Belfort, and the Swiss cantons of Vaud, Neuchâtel, and Jura. The department is dominated by the Jura mountains, which rise east of Besançon.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Besançon, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called ''Doubiens''. Population development since 1791:

Politics

The President of the Departmental Council is Christine Bouquin ( DVD).

National Assembly Representatives

Economy

The Doubs department is at the same time the greenest and the most industrialized in France. It is the birthplace of the automotive manufacturer

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and then ...

Tourism

The castle of Joux and Besançon are important tourist destinations.

Notable people

* Paul-Claude Racamier (1924–1996), psychiatrist and psychoanalyst

Gallery

File:Besancon boucle Doubs.jpg, The

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

and the old town of Besançon in a meander of the Doubs File:France arc et senas saline royal main building 1.jpg, Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans File:2009-05-03 Montbeliard 108.JPG, Montbéliard File:Château de Joux - Vue du belvédère de la Fauconnière.JPG,

Fort de Joux The Fort de Joux or Château de Joux is a castle, later transformed into a fort, located in La Cluse-et-Mijoux in the Doubs department in the Jura mountains of France. It commands the mountain pass ''Cluse de Pontarlier''. History The Chât ...

File:0 Lods - Le village et la Loue (1).JPG,

Lods Lods () is a commune in the Doubs département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Lods is located southeast of Ornans in the valley of the Loue River. History It is first documented in 1189, and there are ...

, one of the most beautiful villages of France