The ten centuries of history of this fortress, the first constructions of which date from 1034, present developments made in defences on a 2-hectare site: the solid towers of the Middle Ages, the bastions from Vauban's era and the modern fort built in front of the château by Joffre in 1879.

Three ditches with drawbridges protect a world of prisons, from the dungeon which housed the legendary Berthe de Joux to the cells where Mirabeu, Kleist and Toussaint Louverture were confined.

A particularly memorable feature of the site is a large well, a vertiginous cylinder dug out of the rock.

A rich museum of weapons from the 18th and 19th centuries, which holds several particularly rare pieces, is a perfect complement to the visit.

In addition to the various exhibitions, visitors will see a scale model of the château measuring 3.64m by 1.76m complete with audio commentary.

Visits, talks, evening events and the Nuits de Joux festival in July-August are organised.

Joux Château

25300 La Cluse-et-Mijoux

Tel: +33 (0)3 81 69 47 95

e-mail: ccl-chateaudejoux@orange.fr

Official Joux Château website

The fort has several notable features, the most impressive of which is the covered interior road, bordered on either side by the facades of the barracks and a room which is completely reinforced.

At 497m, the top of the fort offers superb views of the Pays de Montbéliard (orientation table).

A fortification must meet a defensive need and make use of the human resources and materials available, and is bound by geographic and strategic constraints. Using the example of Mont-Bart Fort, we will analyse these points for the fortifications constructed after the Franco-Prussian war.

At the end of the 19th century, France's army was inferior in terms of numerical strength to that of its powerful neighbour.

France therefore adopted a defensive system designed by General Séré de Rivière to guard against another invasion.

Fortifications were constructed to compensate for inferior human resources.

Given the loss of a part of Alsace and Moselle, the defensive system had to be redesigned in the Vosges rather than being based along the Rhine. The major subjects under consideration were controlling channels of communications and preventing supplies from reaching the enemy army. The answer found was a network of forts which all protected each other. This curtain of forts was supported by fortified camps, which acted as stoppers to block the major roads, as at Belfort.

Experiences in 1870 had taught Séré de Rivière the importance of keeping the enemy at a distance. It was essential to build numerous forts, some of which would only be occupied in the event of a conflict. The network needed to be dense for the system to be effective.

Mont-Bart Fort lies at the southern extremity of the Belfort fortified camp, behind the confluence of the Allan and the Doubs. It overlooks Pays de Montbéliard, with the exception of the Ecot plateau.

Its defence was linked to Mont-Vaudois, Lachaux and Le Lomont forts, and the Roches battery. The gateway to Alsace was closed off by the forts. The roads, railways and waterways were controlled by the forts.

Should an army succeed in sneaking between the forts, it would rapidly be blocked because supplies would not be able to get through. Forts were constructed to resist the weapons which existed at the time.

However, weapons developed very quickly between the late 19th century and the early 20th century. Forts were modernised to keep up with these developments until the First World War.

Mont-Bart Fort
Rue du Mont-Bart - 25420 Bart

Tel: +33 (0)3 81 97 51 71 - Fax: +33 (0)3 81 96 23 85

Email: fort.mont-bart@wanadoo.fr

(Guided visits by appointment)

The citadel of Besançon, Vauban's masterwork, was built between 1668 and 1711 and covers 11 hectares. It looks down from a height of more than 100 metres on the old town, which is nestled in a magnificent loop formed by a meander of the Doubs river. The citadel is a remarkably restored fortress, which is nowadays a unique place of great cultural and tourist importance that enables visitors to experience history and life.

The Resistance and Deportation Museum, which is housed in the enclosure of the citadel, takes the visitor on a voyage through history organised around 20 exhibition halls, half of which are dedicated to Nazism, Nazi repression and the concentration camps. It also contains a documentation centre and educational service. Finally, visitors can also see an exhibition of paintings by Jean DALIGAULT made on scraps of paper that were kept by surviving comrades. Jean DALIGAULT was deported to and executed in Dachau in March 1944. There is also an exhibition of rough sketches made while on the move by Léon DELARBRE, a member of the Resistance arrested in 1944 and deported to Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Dora and Bergen-Belsen.

Tourist information: /33 (0)3 81 87 83 33

E-mail: :sem.lacitadelle@besancon.com 

Opening hours The citadel is open daily, except on 25 December and 1 January: 9:00 to 19:00 from July 5 -August 31 9:00 to 18:00 from 29 March to 4 July and 31 August 24 October 10:00 to 17:00 in low season.

Opening hours may be subject to slight amendments. Recommended duration of visit: At least half a day on site. Museums closed on Tuesdays between All Saints' Day and Easter.

Dogs are not permitted.

Admission Adults: 8.20 € Concession: 6.80 € Children (4 -14 years): 4.60 € Children (-4 years) Free. Group and regular visitor rates are also available.

The Resistance and Deportation Museum Free for school groups. Open all year round.

The Resistance and Deportation Museum La Citadelle 25000 BESANÇON - Telephone. /33 (0)3 81 83 37 14

Internment of the Gypsies

In May 1941, the Feldkommandantur for Besançon decided to apply the decree passed on 4th October 1940 forcing travelling people in the occupied zone to be held together in internment camps. This measure was initially aimed at those in the Belfort, Doubs, Haute-Saône and Jura areas. It was then extended to cover those in the Côte-d'Or, Haute-Marne, Saône-et-Loire and Ain Departements. Thus, on 24th June 1941, the first travellers from Belfort were sent to the Châtelain and Châtelaine forest houses belonging to the Chaux estate, 22 km from Dôle. But this location quickly proved unsuitable. Insufficient accommodation and water that was unfit to drink caused the German authorities to transfer the Gypsies to the Arc-et-Senans Saltworks on 1st September 1941.
Built by architect Claude Nicolas LEDOUX, and owned by the Doubs Departement since 1927, the Royal Saltworks at that time was in a very poor state of repair despite initial restoration work carried out between 1930 and 1936. Among other things it had already been used as an assembly centre for Spanish Republicans between February and October 1939, before being requisitioned by the French Army during the Phoney War. The Germans then took possession of the place during the first half of 1941, until their departure. Until 15th May 1942, the status of the Arc-et-Senans camp, run by four Customs Officers, was that of an assembly centre. In effect, this meant that the Gypsies, grouped into whole families, could leave the camp area, through the use of exit passes. This period was also notable for the absence of common buildings which meant that the travelling people had to live by their own means. Thus, in order to support their families, some adults went to work in neighbouring businesses such as engineering firm UMAS (Union métallurgique d'Arc-et-Senans) or the Todt organisation. In addition, the sanitation was appalling; the showers were unusable, the toilets did not work and there were inadequate fresh water supplies... The lack of hygiene gave rise to diseases such as scabies, and many gypsies had to be transferred to the hospitals in Besançon for treatment. Meanwhile, an excessive number of escapes and exit passes that were too freely issued led to many complaints from the inhabitants of Arc-et-Senans. And on 15th May 1942, the order was given for the Royal Saltworks to become an internment camp. The changes were radical; people were no longer permitted to leave and as a result some hitherto absent facilities were rapidly installed. These included soup-kitchen style catering facilities, as well as an infirmary and a school able to take the 58 children registered at the camp. Despite these transformations, the Gypsy population still lived in difficult conditions. A report issued by the Camp Governor in August 1943, revealed that of the 185 internees, 44 suffered from skin complaints: infected wounds, abscesses, varicose ulcers, etc. Furthermore, the escapes continued. This undoubtedly led to the closure of the camp at Arc-et-Senans on 11th September 1943 and the transfer of the Gypsy families to the Jargeau internment camp in the Loiret region. This dramatic episode in the history of the Royal Saltworks has not been forgotten. On 11th and 12th March 1999 - as part of a major event entitled "A Look at Travelling People", organised by the Institut Claude Nicolas LEDOUX - a seminar was held at the Royal Saltworks on the theme "The Arc-et-Senans internment camp: its part in the discriminatory treatment of Gypsies". Finally, on 9th April 1999, a commemorative plaque was placed at the entrance to the Saltworks in tribute to the interned families.

Saline Royale Institut Claude-Nicolas Ledoux Département Tourisme et Publics 25610 Arc et Senans Tél.: + 33 (0)3 81 54 45 45 Fax: + 33 (0)3 81 54 45 46