Coordinates: 47°30′37″N 6°47′56″E / 47.5103°N 6.7989°E / 47.5103; 6.7989
Montbéliard[1] (archaic German: Mömpelgard) is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.[2] It is one of the two sub-prefectures of the department.
[edit] History
Mentioned first in 985 as Mons Beliardae, it became a county of the Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century. In 1397 the town, known in German as Mömpelgard, passed by marriage of Henriette, heiress of county to Eberhard IV, Count of Württemberg, to the House of Württemberg . In 1524, ten years earlier than in Württemberg, duke Ulrich and reformer William Farel made Mömpelgard Protestant (specifically Lutheran). From 1598 to 1608, the architect Heinrich Schickhardt built several landmarks of the city, like St. Martin, a castle, a bridge, a college and several hotels.
After the French Revolution, it was briefly incorporated into the Rauracian Republic. In 1793 the town was annexed to France, which was confirmed in 1796 and by the German Mediatisation of 1806, when Württemberg was compensated with other areas, and became a kingdom.
As a consequence of the former rule under the dukes of Württemberg, it has been for centuries one of the few Protestant (specifically Lutheran) enclaves in France. The Württemberg family's coat of arms of 1495 represents Montbeliard as two jumping fishes on a red field.[3]
[edit] Demographics
Change in population
(Source : INSEE[4]) | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2008 |
| 21,699 | 23,908 | 30,425 | 31,836 | 29,005 | 27,570 | 28,766 |
| From the year 1962 on: population without double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. |
The metropolitan area has a population of 302,000 (with the city of Belfort).
[edit] Administration
| List of mayors |
| Period | Name | Political party |
| 1959-1965 | Jean-Pierre Tuefferd | PS |
| 1965-1978 | André Boulloche | PS |
| 1978-1989 | André Lang | PS |
| 1989-2008 | Louis Souvet | UMP |
| 2008-? | Jacques Hélias | PS |
| The previous data are unknown. |
[edit] Economy
View of
Montbeliard - Mümpelgart, c. 1600
Württemberg coat of arms 1495, showing Montbeliard's fishes
The main manufacturing plant of Peugeot is partly located in Montbéliard and the industrialist Peugeot family is a Protestant family from the vicinity of Montbéliard. Today Peugeot was in a very difficult with the start of the recession in the automotive, Montbéliard quickly plunges into crisis. The plant is not functioning at the end 2008 and for at least one month. Usually it in Montbéliard produces a car every 30 seconds: 2500 cars per day is more that sells .....
[edit] Sights
The Château de Montbéliard was the castle of the Dukes of Württemberg.
[edit] Twin towns
Montbéliard is twinned with Greensboro, North Carolina and Ludwigsburg, Germany, the site of the castles of Württemberg.
The FCSM (Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard) football team is currently playing in Ligue 1, and is the club that has played the most seasons in the highest league out of all teams in France.
[edit] Famous people of Montbéliard
Montbéliard is the birthplace of:
- Nicolaus Taurellus (1547-1606), philosopher and theologian
- Nicolas Tournier (1590-ca. 1638), painter
- Wolf Christoph Zorn von Plobsheim (1655-1721), architect (de:Wolf Christoph Zorn von Plobsheim)
- Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), naturalist and zoologist
- Alexander of Württemberg (1771-1833)
- Frédéric Cuvier (1773-1838), zoologist and physisist
- Henri Mouhot (1826-1861), naturalist
- René Thom (1923–2002), mathematician
- Dominique Voynet (* 1958), Green politian)
- Frank Darabont (* 1959), American filmmaker
- Adrien Mörk (* 1979), golfer
- Pierre-Alain Frau (1980-present), footballer
[edit] See also
[edit] References and notes
[edit] External links
