Vesoul ( ) is a commune in the predominantly rural

Haute-Saône Haute-Saône (; Frainc-Comtou: ''Hâte-Saône''; English: Upper Saône) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France. Named after the river Saône, it had a population of 235,313 in 2019.

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

, or capital, in the

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 ...

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 ...

located in eastern France. It is the most populated municipality of the department, with inhabitants in 2014. The same year, the

Communauté d'agglomération de Vesoul The Communauté d'agglomération de Vesoul is a , an intercommunal structure, in the Haute-Saône department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, eastern France. It was created in January 2012 from the former communautés de communes de l'ag ...

, which covers 20 municipalities, together had inhabitants, while its

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

, comprising 78 municipalities, had inhabitants. Its inhabitants are known in French as ''Vésuliens''. Built on top of the hill of La Motte in the first millennium under the name of ''Castrum Vesulium'', the city gradually evolved into a European commercial and economic center. At the end of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the city experienced a challenging period beset with plagues, epidemics, and localized conflict. The main urban center of the department, Vesoul is also home to a major PSA parts manufacturing plant and to the

Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema The Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema () is an annual special-interest film festival focusing on the cinemas of Asia. The festival is held annually in Vesoul, France. It was created in 1995 by Martine and Jean-Marc Thérouanne who ...

. It was immortalized by

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world ...

in his 1968 song "Vesoul".

History

Vesoul is first mentioned in a document dated 899. That document describes an elevation with a fortified watchtower and speaks of "Castrum Vesulium". Castrum is a

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

, and "Vesulium" has the

syllable A syllable is a basic unit of organization within a sequence of speech sounds, such as within a word, typically defined by linguists as a ''nucleus'' (most often a vowel) with optional sounds before or after that nucleus (''margins'', which are ...

''ves'' which meant hill or mountain in a language that was spoken before the

Celt The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

s. Today, there is a castle that forms the centre of the city. The first houses were built inside the walls of the castle. Newcomers who found no place settled outside the city walls, on the flanks of the hill. Growing

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

was popular. The town was severely affected by the plague in 1586. It became part of France in 1678. In 1814, after the fall of the empire, a

buffer state A buffer state is a country geographically lying between two rival or potentially hostile great powers. Its existence can sometimes be thought to prevent conflict between them. A buffer state is sometimes a mutually agreed upon area lying between t ...

was created, with Vesoul as capital. The

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

was that of

Free County Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, the ability to act or change without constraint or restriction * Emancipate, attaining civil and political rights or equality * Free (''gratis''), free of charge * Gratis versus libre, the difference betw ...

, of the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...

and of

Porrentruy Porrentruy (; ; ) is a Swiss municipality and seat of the district of the same name located in the canton of Jura. Porrentruy is home to National League team, HC Ajoie. History The first trace of human presence in Porrentruy is a Mesolit ...

. Today, one of the main factories of

PSA Peugeot Citroën Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...

is near Vesoul.

Geography

Vesoul is located in the eastern part of France, about 100 kilometers away from the

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 ...

and the

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

border and between the Jura and the

's mountain ranges. Vesoul is also situated in the center of the

, which is in the north of

. In of this region, Vesoul is included in the ''Pays de Vesoul et du Val de Saône'', a geographic region composed of the Vesoul's area and the northern part of the river

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

. By road, Vesoul is from

Luxeuil-les-Bains Luxeuil-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté west of Mulhouse in eastern France. History Luxeuil (sometimes rendered Luxeu in older texts) was the Roman Luxovium and contained many ...

, from Lure and from

Gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

, which are the main towns close to Vesoul. Relative to the bigger cities in the French East region, Vesoul is located from

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 ...

, from

Belfort Belfort (; archaic , ) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately from the Swiss border. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort. Belfort is from Paris and from Basel. The residents of the city ...

, from

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

, and from Nancy. Equidistant from

and

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

, Vesoul is away from the city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The town of Vesoul is at the intersection of national roads N19 and N57. Vesoul station is on the SNCF Paris–Mulhouse railway line, and has connections with Paris, Belfort, Mulhouse and Chaumont. The Vesoul area is also included in the ''Pôle métropolitain Centre Franche-Comté'' which is a government structure unifying the biggest areas of central

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou dialect, Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; ; also ; ; all ) is a cultural and Provinces of France, historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of France, departments of Doub ...

. Nine communes border the town of Vesoul. Vesoul is crossed by four watercourses : two rivers ( Durgeon and Colombine) and two streams (Vaugine and Méline). All four are tributaries and sub-tributaries of the

, the fourth longest river in France at 473 kilometers long and a tributary of the Rhone, which flows at about ten kilometers from the western side of Vesoul..

Governance and politics

Mayors

Twin towns

Gerlingen Gerlingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Gaerlenge'') is a town in the Ludwigsburg (district), district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 9 km west of Stuttgart, and 15 km southwest of Ludwigsburg. Gerlingen is ...

, Germany, since 1964

Administrative division

Arrondissement of Vesoul The arrondissement of Vesoul is an arrondissement of France in the Haute-Saône department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. It has 346 communes. Its population is 127,637 (2021), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondis ...

Canton of Vesoul-1 The Canton of Vesoul-1 (before March 2015: ''Vesoul-Ouest'') is a French administrative division, in the arrondissement of Vesoul, in Haute-Saône ''département'' (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté '' région''). It consists of the western part of the co ...

Canton of Vesoul-2 The Canton of Vesoul-2 (before March 2015: ''Vesoul-Est'') is a French administrative division, in the arrondissement of Vesoul, in Haute-Saône (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté ). It consists of the eastern part of the commune of Vesoul and its easter ...

Population and society

* Jean-Michel Nicolier ( 1 July 1966 – 20/21 November 1991), French volunteer in the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

who was killed in the Vukovar massacre * Sophie Bouillon (born 1984), independent journalist, winner of the 2009 Albert Londres Prize.

Demography

Media

''Vesoul'' is also the name of a song by

from 1968, a fast-paced

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

during the recording of which Brel famously yelled "Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!" ("heat up, Marcel, heat up!") at his

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

ist, Marcel Azzola. The town is also mentioned facetiously in the satirical rap ''Fous ta cagoule'' by Michael Youn."Fous ta Cagoule" by Fatal Bazooka--English Translation
/ref>

Sport

* FC Vesoul, football club *

Stade René Hologne Stade René Hologne is a stadium located in Vesoul, in Haute-Saône (France). It is the home stadium of the football club Vesoul Haute-Saône and its capacity is approximately 6,000. Sport in Vesoul Sports venues in Haute-Saône {{France-s ...

* Cercle de Judo de Vesoul, Judo club with a competitors section

Education

Vesoul has schools of higher education. The city has 1,200 students divided between an IUT, an IUFM, an Institute of Nursing Training, a School of Management and Commerce and BTS.
A Council of Student Life (CVE), led by the Officer in charge of Higher Education, was established in 2011. It offers activities to stimulate student life. In all, Vesoul has 10,000 students. All schools and studies in Vesoul

Culture and heritage

Monuments and tourist attractions

* ''Vieux Vesoul'' (Old Vesoul) (buildings from the 15th, 16th and 18th centuries and ''Garret''

Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

) * Site of Vesoul's Motte * Site of the Sabot de Frotey * Lake of Vesoul - Vaivre * Vesoul-Vaivre Vélo-rail * Convent of the Ursulines (17th century) * St. George's Church, Vesoul * Gare de Vesoul * PSA Vesoul Plant * Synagogue of Vesoul * Musée Georges-Garret * Notre-Dame-de-la-Motte * Paul Morel Hospital * Lac de Vesoul - Vaivre

Festival

Library

The first public

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

of Vesoul opened in 1771. The ''abbé'' (abbot) Bardenet, superior of the Saint-Esprit

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

, gave his book collection to the town. There were 1772 books. The collections became a lot larger with the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

. At that time, the revolutionaries (people who led the French Revolution) took the books from the

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

of the town (''capucins'') and even of the

(''Luxeuil'' and ''Faverney'' monasteries). Around 20,000 books were added to the library this way, including some 11th century

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

s. The

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

's office was responsible for keeping the books. In 1981, the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

decided to build a new

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

to encourage the public to read. The library was recently equipped with computers. There are around 200 manuscripts and 150

incunable An incunable or incunabulum (: incunables or incunabula, respectively) is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. The specific date is essentially arbitrary, but the ...

Areas

Notable people

Jean-Léon Gérôme Jean-Léon Gérôme (; 11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academic painting, academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living art ...

Raymond Aubrac Raymond Aubrac (born Samuel, 31 July 1914 – 10 April 2012) was a member of the French Resistance in World War II. A civil engineer by trade, he assisted General Charles Delestraint within the ''Armée secrète''. Aubrac and his wife Lucie Aubr ...

Édouard Belin Édouard Belin (5 March 1876 – 4 March 1963) was a French photographer and inventor. In 1907 Belin invented a phototelegraphic apparatus called the Bélinographe (télestéréographe)—a system for receiving photographs over telephone ...

Edwige Feuillère Edwige Feuillère (born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti; 29 October 1907 – 13 November 1998) was a French stage and film actress. Biography She was born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti to an Italian architect father and an Alsace-born moth ...

* Charles Grandmougin *

Arthur Constantin Krebs Arthur Constantin Krebs (16 November 1850 – 22 March 1935) was a French officer and pioneer in automotive engineering. Life Collaborating with Charles Renard, Krebs piloted Timeline of aviation - 19th century, the first fully control ...

* Laurent Mangel * Jean Pierre Marie Orchampt * Robert Schurrer *

Stéphane Peterhansel Stéphane Peterhansel (born 6 August 1965) is a rally driver from France. He holds the record for wins at the Dakar Rally, with 14 victories. He currently drives for Team Audi Sport. Biography Peterhansel made his Paris to Dakar Rally debut in ...

* Albert Cartier * Abel Khaled * Jean-Baptiste Humbert *

Alain Joyandet Alain Joyandet (born 15 January 1954) is a French politician who was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs (France), Secretary of State for Cooperation and Francophony in the government of François Fillon from 18 March 2008 to July 2010. Prior ...

* Yves Krattinger *

Mickaël Ravaux Mickaël Ravaux (born January 2, 1979) is a French professional football player, who currently plays for Vesoul Haute-Saône. Career He played on the professional level in Ligue 1 for FC Sochaux-Montbéliard and in Ligue 2 for FC Sochaux-Montbé ...

* Jean-Xavier Bureau de Pusy * Georges Cogniot *

Théodule-Armand Ribot Théodule-Armand Ribot (18 December 18399 December 1916) was a French psychologist. He was born at Guingamp, and was educated at the Lycée de St Brieuc. He is known as the founder of scientific psychology in France, and gave his name to Ribot's ...

Albert Mathiez Albert-Xavier-Émile Mathiez (; 10 January 1874 – 26 February 1932) was a French historian, best known for his Marxist interpretation of the French Revolution. Mathiez emphasized class conflict. He argued that 1789 pitted the bourgeoisie agains ...

* Jean Peyrière * Julien Casoli * Amédée Simon Dominique Thierry * Affo Erassa * Jean Compagnon * Cédric Si Mohamed *

Katty Piejos Katty Tolla Piejos, (born 21 August 1981) is a French handball player. Teams * Réveil Sportif (Gros-Morne, Martinique), 1993-2001 * Havre Athletic Club Handball, 2001-2004 * Metz Handball Metz Handball is a French handball club from Metz ...

Vincent Luis Vincent Luis (born 27 June 1989 in Vesoul, France) is a French professional triathlete. Besides his many WTS wins and his participation in the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics, he won the ITU World Championship in 2019 and 2020, an ...

* Frédéric Vichot * Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret * Jean-Michel Nicollier * Pape Mamadou Diouf * Roger Munier *

Jean-Joseph Gaume Jean-Joseph Gaume (5 May 1802 – 19 November 1879) was a French Roman Catholic theologian and author. Life Gaume was born at Fuans, Franche-Comté. While attached to the Diocese of Nevers, he was successively professor of theology, dire ...

Awards

* Vesoul inaugurated the first Cyber Base France in 1999 * Voted "most athletic city of France" in 2001 * Labeled "Child Friendly City" by UNICEF in 2006. This label was renewed in 2009. * Labeled "friendly and inclusive City" in 2010 * Labeled "Cities and villages in bloom" and has 3 flowers * Labeled "QualiTri Collection" in 2012 * Vesoul is the second city in France to obtain ISO 14001 certification

Climate

References

External links

Official website

Proxoo.com – Site about the city center
{{Authority control Communes of Haute-Saône Prefectures in France Sequani