Property Franche-Comte France

The region of Franche-Comté is one of beautiful scenery, forests, lakes, rivers and charming villages. It is one of the smallest and least populated of all administrative regions in France, but it has much to offer those who visit or own a home.

With just over 1.1 million residents in 16,200 square kilometers of land, Franche-Comté is located along the Swiss border in the eastern part of France. The name is roughly translated as free county and comes from the time of the Duchy of Burgundy. It was, in contrast to its neighbors, a free county. It has been fought over for centuries, being in the possession of Austria, Spain and France over time. The largest city is the historical and regional capital of Besancon, not far from the Swiss border. Other cities include Belfort, Briancon and Dole.

Franche-Comté consists of four administrative departments, Doubs, Jura, Haute-Saône and Territoire de Belfort, and is one of the more agriculturally dependent parts of the country. Jura and Haute-Saône are heavily agricultural regions, and most of the population lies to the east and north of these departments. The area is one of France’s most popular for cross country skiing, with over 2,000 kilometers of trails. The Jura Mountains are along the southern part of the region and provide a perfect climate for winter activities. The climate for the rest of the year is moderate, with a good amount of rain and snow, and reasonably dry summers.

Besancon is the largest city in the region with a metro area population of some 220,000 residents. It is on the Doubs River, 325 kilometers east of Paris and 125 kilometers northwest of Lausanne, Swizerland. This was long the capital of the busy French watch and clock-making industries and is now home to microtechnology firms. The watch industry has made a remarkable comeback over the past few years and the town still is the largest production center in the country. The city has a fascinating historical past and has a popular old town for visitors and residents alike to enjoy. The University of Franche-Comté is located in Besancon has approximately 20,000 students.

Belfort is a historically important city that has been at the center of many conflicts and continues to be an important trading center, not far from the Swiss and German borders. Alstom, the French company that manufactures busses and trains and produced the first TGV trains, has its headquarters here. The town is famous for the statue The Lion of Belfort, sculpted to honor the town’s resistance to being taken over in the Franco Prussian War.

Besancon has a TGV line that runs to Paris through Dijon, as does Dole, and there are regional trains that connect most of the other cities in Franche-Comté. There are no major airports in the region. The nearest international airports are the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiberg (BSL) and Lyon’s Saint-Exupery International Airport (LYS).

Being such a small region, in both size and population, the housing options are limited. The agricultural nature of most of the area means there are simply not many homes available. Besancon and Belfort have the most options, as the two largest cities in the region. Prices are reasonable and it is a beautiful area in which to live.