Pontarlier
Encyclopedia
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
and one of the two sub-prefectures of the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
History
Pontarlier occupies the ancient Roman station of Ariolica, in GalliaGallia
Gallia may refer to:*Gaul , the region of Western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium and other neighbouring countries...
and is placed in the Tables on the road from Urba (modern Orbe
Orbe
Orbe is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It was the seat of the former district of Orbe and is now part of the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois.-History:Orbe is first mentioned about 280 as Urba. In 1179 it was mentioned as versus Orbam....
, Canton Vaud
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
, Switzerland), to Vesontio (modern Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
). Although the distances in the Antonine Itinerary
Antonine Itinerary
The Antonine Itinerary is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another...
do not agree with the real distances, French geographer D'Anville recognized a transposition of the numbers. The Theodosian Tabula names the place "Abrolica", which William Smith
William Smith (lexicographer)
Sir William Smith Kt. was a noted English lexicographer.-Early life:Born at Enfield in 1813 of Nonconformist parents, he was originally destined for a theological career, but instead was articled to a solicitor. In his spare time he taught himself classics, and when he entered University College...
states as a possible error of transcription.
The city of Pontarlier is briefly mentioned in Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
's Les Misérables
Les Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
. It was to this city that convict Jean Valjean was to report for his parole after being released from the galleys. Breaking these instructions is a major turning point in the novel, and also creates some major conflict for Valjean later in the story.
Pontarlier was famous for the production of absinthe
Absinthe
Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel...
until its ban in 1915. The distilleries switched over to producing pastis
Pastis
Pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur and apéritif from France, typically containing 40–45% alcohol by volume, although alcohol-free varieties exist.-Origins:...
. With the ban partially lifted in the 1990s, distilleries are once again producing absinthe in Pontarlier.
Aviation
Pontarlier was also a pioneer city of aviation. The beginning of the aeronautical history of Pontarlier took place on October 29, 1910 by Auguste Junod has edge of his Farman biplane of 50 cv. This first flight caused the admiration of the large crowd that had come to admire this magic machine. July 2 of the following year was marked by the arrival of 2 other machines has Pontarlier to carry out the first air meeting of Franche-Comté. This event attracted approximately 10.000 people. The aero club of Pontarlier was created only 20 years later, on March 12, 1930 by a handle of impassioned aviation. At that time, the association, chaired by Mr. Eugène Thévenin did not yet have a plane for lack of sufficient funds. Their actions were thus limited to propaganda in order to raise money. May 13, 1934 was a great day for the aero club, with the arrival of the first plane, a POTEZ 43, monoplane-three-seater of 100 CV baptized for the occasion "Ville de Pontarlier". A whole generation of apparatuses followed in continuation of this precursor. Today, the aeroclub took true flies away and for an aero club of province it is well equipped: 2 track of 1000 m whose one into hard and the other out of grass, as well as fleet of 4 planes of all types, has wing high, has wings low, two-seater, three-seater or four-seater.Population
Personalities
- Edgar FaureEdgar FaureEdgar Faure was a French politician, essayist, historian, and memoirist.-Career:Faure was born in Béziers, Languedoc-Roussillon. He trained as a lawyer in Paris and became a member of the Bar at 27, the youngest lawyer in France to do so at the time...
, member of the Académie françaiseAcadémie françaiseL'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
, president of the city council, and mayor - Philippe GrenierPhilippe GrenierPhilippe Grenier - French doctor, convert to Islam, first and only Muslim MP in France..-References:...
, physician and politician - Xavier MarmierXavier MarmierXavier Marmier was a French author born in Pontarlier, in Doubs. He had a passion for travelling, and this he combined throughout his life with the production of literature...
, writer and poet - Robert Fernier, painter
- Pierre Bichet, painter
- Vincent DefrasneVincent DefrasneVincent Defrasne is a French biathlete. He won a gold medal in the 12.5 km pursuit at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and a bronze medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City....
, biathlete - Florence Baverel-RobertFlorence Baverel-RobertFlorence Baverel-Robert , is a retired French biathlete who competed in the biathlon at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Baverel-Robert won the gold medal in the women's 7.5 km sprint...
, biathlete
Sights
- Triumphal archTriumphal archA triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
of the Porte Saint-Pierre (18th century) ; - Gate of the ancient church of the Annonciades (18th century) ;
- Stained glassStained glassThe term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
created in 1976 by painter Alfred ManessierAlfred ManessierAlfred Manessier was a non-figurative French painter, stained glass artist, and tapestry designer, part of the new Paris School and the Salon de Mai.-Biography:...
for Saint-Bénigne Church; - Municipal museum, place d'Arçon ;
- Espera museum of Franco Sbarro : car design, prototypes, engines.
International relations
Pontarlier is twinned with: Villingen-SchwenningenVillingen-Schwenningen
Villingen-Schwenningen is a city in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It has 80,941 inhabitants .-History:...
(Germany) Zarautz
Zarautz
Zarautz is a coastal town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country, northern Spain.The town is a popular tourist destination with the population swelling from its usual 22,812 to around 60,000 in summer. The Palace of Narros, located adjacent to Zarautz's 2.8 km long beach,...
(Spain) Yverdon-les-Bains
Yverdon-les-Bains
Yverdon-les-Bains is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord vaudois of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district...
(Switzerland)