Saturday 11th October 2025
Our journey north continues and I was surprised to learn that we are now officially in North Eastern France. It certainly feels cooler than around the Camargue and the French Riviera.
Belfort is a fortified city which has a long history. As it is situated in a natural geographical gap between the Vosges and Jura, it has frequently been strategically important. There has been a fortress here since the 13th century. As a result, the city fortifications are huge and very impressive, with a fort which dominates the hill above the city.
The Franco-Prussian war in 1870, in which the French army, together with many local citizens successfully withstood the might of the Prussian army, provoked the city’s inhabitants to celebrate their resistance against the siege.
They celebrated by commissioning a huge, red sandstone lion sculpture by Frédéric Bartholdi, (who was from nearby Colmar and who also built the Statue of Liberty). The Lion of Belfort deliberately looks over the city with its rear end towards Prussia. It also has its paw on an arrow pointing that way.
From the top of the citadel, you can see the extent of the fortifications, much of which is underground.
We had a wander around the city centre and to our amazement, there were three weddings all taking place. One was apparently in the bandstand, (presumably for photos) another which had just finished in the Hotel de Ville, and a third just starting in the Cathedral:
That is it for today. TTFN and see-u-later.
"See-u-Later" 