Vesoul

Vesoul
Vesoul
Location within Free County region  Vesoul
Administration
Country	France
Region	Free County
Department	Haute-Saône
Arrondissement	Vesoul
Canton	Vesoul-Est and Vesoul-Ouest
Intercommunality	Vesoul
Mayor	Alain Joyandet (2001–2008)
Statistics
Elevation	213–375 m (699–1,230 ft) (avg. 220 m / 720 ft)
Land area1	9.07 km2 (3.50 sq mi)
Population2	19,404  (2010)
- Density	2,139 /km2 (5,540 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	70550/ 70000
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Vesoul is a city in the Haute-Saône département in France. It is also the capital of that département. About 19.000 people lived in Vesoul in 2010.

Geography

The Haute-Saône is a rural department. It is unusual because the urban population is based around five towns: Vesoul, Gray, Héricourt, Lure and Luxeuil-les-Bains. Vesoul, the prefecture is not very important in terms of population. The Durgeon and Colombine rivers flow through the commune.

History

Vesoul is first mentioned in a document dated 899. That document speaks about an elevation with a fortified watchtower. The document speaks about "Castrum Vesulium". Castrum is a fortification, and "Vesulium" has the syllable ves which meant hill or mountain in a language that was spoken before the Celts. 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 was popular. In 1814, after the fall of the empire, a buffer state was created, with Vesoul as capital. The principality was that of Free County, of the Vosges and of Porrentruy.

Today, one of the main factories of PSA Peugeot Citroën is near Vesoul.

Culture

Monuments and tourist attractions

• Vieux Vesoul (English:Old Vesoul) (buildings from the 15th, 16th and 18th centuries and Garret Museum)
• Site of Vesoul's Motte
• Site of the Sabot de Frotey
• Vesoul-Vaivre lake
• Vesoul-Vaivre Vélo-rail
• Saint Georges church (18th century)
• Convent of the Ursulines (17th century)

Library

The first public library of Vesoul opened in 1771. The abbé (abbot) Bardenet, superior of the Saint-Esprit hospital in Besançon, gave his book collection to the town. There were 1772 books. The collections became a lot larger with the Revolution. At that time, the revolutionaries (people who led the French Revolution) took the books from the monasteries of the town (capucins) and even of the region (Luxeuil and Faverney monasteries). Around 20,000 books were added to the library this way, including some 11th century manuscripts. The Mayor's office was responsible for keeping the books.

In 1981, the municipality decided to build a new building to encourage the public to read. The library was recently equipped with computers. There are around 200 manuscripts and 150 incunables.

Twin towns

Vesoul is only twinned with one town:

• Gerlingen, Germany, since 1964.

Demography

Change in population
(Source : INSEE, Ehess)

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901	1906	1911
5303	5417	5708	5391	5408	5887	6788	5941	6621	7281	7579	7614	7716	9206	9553	9733	9770	10083	9704	10163	10539

Change in population

1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2007
10471	10859	11562	11926	11825	12038	13678	16352	18173	18412	17614	17168	16370	16329