Montbéliard

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Coordinates: 47°30′37″N 6°47′56″E / 47.5102777777778, 6.79888888888889

Commune of Montbéliard
Location
Montbéliard (France)
Montbéliard
Administration
Country France
Region Franche-Comté
Department Doubs (sous-préfecture)
Arrondissement Montbéliard
Canton Chief town of 2 cantons:
Montbéliard-Est, Montbéliard-Ouest
Intercommunality Pays de Montbéliard
Mayor Jacques Hélias
(2008-2014)
Statistics
Elevation 311 m–454 m
Land area¹ 15.01 km²
Population²
(1999)		 27,570
 - Density 1,837/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 25388/ 25200
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.
France

Montbéliard[1] (archaic German: Mömpelgard) is a commune in the Doubs département of the Franche-Comté région, in eastern France. It is one of the two sous-préfectures of the département.

Population (1999): 27,570. Internal agglomeration: 123,000. External agglomeration: 302,000 (with the city of Belfort).

Contents

[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 archaic German as Mömpelgard, passed by marriage of Henriette, heiress of county to Eberhard IV, Count of Württemberg, to the counts (later dukes) of the House of Württemberg . In 1524, 10 years earlier than in Württemberg, duke Ulrich and reformer William Farel made Mömpelgard Protestant (specifically Lutheran). From 1598 to 1608, the architect Heinrich Schickhardt build 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 Reichsdeputationshauptschluss 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.

[edit] Administration

List of the successive mayors
Period Name Political party Office
1959-1965 J-Pierre Tuefferd
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
View of Montbeliard - Mümpelgart, c. 1600

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.

[edit] Miscellaneous

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.

The Château de Montbéliard was the castle of the Dukes of Württemberg.

[edit] Births

Montbéliard is the birthplace of:

[edit] See also

[edit] References and notes

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2008)
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  1. ^ Also spelt Montbelliard in some English language histories.

[edit] External links