Montbéliard
France > East > Montbeliard
MONTBÉLIARD, 16km south of Belfort, thrives mainly thanks to the Peugeot factory in its southern suburb of Audincourt, the second car production plant to be created in Europe. There are some unexpected pleasures in Montbéliard, however: the town has been part of France only since 1793, so the architecture of the old town has a strong Germanic look. The imposing Château des Ducs de Wurtemburg (daily except Tues 10am–noon & 2–6pm; €4.60), constructed during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, has been restored to house various exhibitions: there's always a specialist international exhibition as well as the permanent display of the collection of famous French zoologist Georges Cuvier, who was born in Montbéliard and whose work paved the way for Darwin. There's also a display of the Gallo-Roman objects found nearby at the remains of the huge Roman theatre at Mandeure, 8km south of Montbéliard, just off the D437 (rue du Theatre, Mandeure; daily 24hr; free). The old houses around the Château have been repainted in their original colours. Note the circular stairwells, always at the back of the house – an architectural curiosity developed in the days when space was taxed, as part of an elaborate tax-avoidance scheme. The Bourg des Halles covered market was built in the sixteenth century, and is another fine Germanic building. Every two years in December there's a fabulous exhibition of crazy mechanical vehicles/moveable sculptures, "Quand les Machines Rient: au Pays de Montbéliard", followed by a New Year's Eve procession, "Le Réveillon des Boulons", when the machines and their creators fill the streets. An outdoor Christmas market, "Lumières de Noël", is held every year around the St-Martin church, and there's also a three-kilometre labyrinth at the Parc du Près-la-Rose.The tourist office is at 1 rue Henri Mouhot (mid-June to mid-Sept Mon–Fri 9am–noon & 1.30–7pm, Sat 9am–noon & 1.30–6pm, Sun 10am–noon & 2–4pm; mid-Sept to mid-June Mon–Fri 9am–noon & 1.30–6pm, Sat 9am–noon & 1.30–6pm; tel 03.81.94.45.60, www.montbeliard.com). For local events, which may influence whether you stay in Montbéliard or Belfort, as both have some good music and art festivals, get the free cultural magazine Atmosphere, or Montbéliard Magazine, available in tourist offices. For accommodation, the choice is slightly better in Belfort, but Montbéliard does have its fair share: try the Hôtel-Restaurant l'Auberge Mon Repos, 8 rue des Grands-Jardins (tel 03.81.94.52.67; €30–40), which is very peaceful with a large garden, or the Hôtel de la Balance, 40 rue de Belfort (tel 03.81.96.77.41, [email protected]; €55–70), in the old town, which also has a restaurant with menus from €11. There are plenty of outdoor cafés in the old town area: Café de la Paix, 12 rue des Febvres, near Les Halles, is a great place to relax. There's also an Internet café (few and far between in this part of France) in the Centre des Images: Cybercentre, 2 cour des Halles (tel 03.81.91.10.85; Mon–Fri 4–7pm, Sat 2–6pm; €1.50 per hour).
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