Besançon lies in an exceptional strategic position, which Julius Caesar had already noticed: the River Doubs encloses the city in a loop closed off by a hill.
Here Vauban was to find a town that had been fortified since ancient times. Forever striving to adapt to the terrain, he improved some buildings and designed new ones, thereby totally reshaping the defence system of the town.
Vauban built the citadel on a rocky spur that he made higher to protect it from the Chaudanne and Brégille hills. He transformed Battant’s medieval town wall with bastions, curtain walls and demi-lunes dominated by Fort Griffon, a second citadel facing the first one. Vauban optimised the defence of the heart of Besançon by inventing a new model of canon tower: the bastioned tower. He built six of them firmly anchored into the river and facing the hills which dominated the town.
The fortifications of Besançon were finished in 1693 after almost 20 years of work. They cost the royal treasury so much to build that Louis XIV wondered if the citadel was not made from gold.
Les 16 & 17 septembre 2023, les douze fortifications de Vauban inscrites sur la Liste du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO vous proposent de nombreux événements. Découvrez-les vite !
On July 7th 2023, 15 years to the day after the Fortifications of Vauban were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, the twelve major Vauban sites proudly celebrated this anniversary in ceremonies...
The year 2023 marks the 15th anniversary of the inscription of Vauban's Fortifications on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is an opportunity to celebrate World Heritage and Vauban's work of genius...
Ville de Besançon
Direction de la culture et du patrimoine
2 rue Mégevand
25034 Besançon cedex
Phone number: +33 3 81 87 84 38
www.besancon.fr/vauban
Office du tourisme et des congrès de Besançon
www.besancon-tourisme.com
Phone number: +33 3 81 80 92 55
info@besancon-tourisme.com
Citadelle de Besançon
www.citadelle.com
Phone number: +33 3 81 87 83 33
contact@citadelle.besancon.fr
An integral part of the city, the fortified enclosure is freely accessible.
The citadel is accessible during opening hours, with a charge for admission.