Saint-Claude () is a commune and a

sous-préfecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures ...

of the Jura department in the

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

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 eastern

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 lies on the river

Bienne Biel/Bienne (official bilingual wording; German: ''Biel'' ; French: ''Bienne'' ; locally ; ; ; ) is a bilingual city in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. With over 55,000 residents, it is the country's tenth-largest city by population. Th ...

History

The town was originally named ''Saint-Oyand'' after Saint Eugendus. However, when St. Claudius had, in 690, resigned his Diocese of

Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...

and died in 696 as twelfth abbot, the number of pilgrims who visited his grave was so great that, since the

13th century The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCI) through December 31, 1300 (MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched ...

, the name "Saint-Claude" came more and more into use and has today superseded the other. It was the world capital of wooden smoking pipes crafted by hand from the mid 19th century to the mid 20th century. During WWII the town came under German occupation, yet still remained a haven for Jews escaping to Switzerland due to its proximity to it (about 8 km away, as the crow flies). As a punishment to the locals for consistently assisting and harbouring the fleeing Jews, the Nazis executed all of the town’s males of service age in the town centre. There is a memorial plaque in the city square commemorating the event. Today, there are several farms and ranches surrounding the town that produce many world famous brands of dairy (Comte cheese), beef (Charolaise), and poultry (Bresse Gauloise). In 1974, Saint-Claude absorbed the former communes Valfin-lès-Saint-Claude, Ranchette, Chaumont, Chevry and Cinquétral.

Population

Transport

Saint-Claude is served by a railway station.

Sport

Saint-Claude has a rugby club. The 2017 Tour de France passed through Saint-Claude. The town's close proximity to the forests and ski resorts makes it a popular destination for hiking, mountain biking, camping, and skiing/snowboarding. Many surrounding lakes (Lac de Vouglans, etc.) also provide numerous fishing and boating activities close to town.

Sights

Saint-Claude Cathedral, former seat of the Bishops of Saint-Claude, is located here. One of the landmarks in the city is the world largest model pipe (7.5 meters long and 8.7 meters high, weighing 600 kg) as a proof of its international reputation as the world capital of pipe manufacturing. The world's second largest pipe is in St. Claude, Manitoba, which was built in 1984 to honour early settlers from the namesake Saint-Claude, Jura.

Personalities

* Nadir Belhadj, footballer * Suzanne Belperron (1900-1983), jewelry designer * Angelique Boyer, actress * Mevlüt Erdinç, footballer * Alexis Vuillermoz, cyclist * Maud Forget, actress *

Pierre Morel Pierre Morel (born 12 May 1964) is a French film director and cinematographer. His work includes ''District 13'', ''From Paris with Love (film), From Paris with Love'', and ''Taken (film), Taken.'' Career After spending his formative years in ...

, cyclist

References

External links

* Communes of Jura (department) Subprefectures in France {{SaintClaudeFR-geo-stub