Belfort

Belfort
/bel fawrdd", bay-/, n.
1. Territoire de /te rddee twannrdd" deuh/, a department in E France. 128,125; 235 sq. mi. (610 sq. km). Cap.: Belfort.
2. a fortress city in E France, strategically located on a mountain pass between the Vosges and Jura mountains: siege 1870-71; battle 1944. 57,317.

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France
      town, capital of the Territoire de Belfort, Franche-Comté région, eastern France, on the Savoureuse River, southwest of Mulhouse. Inhabited in Gallo-Roman times, Belfort was first recorded in the 13th century as a possession of the counts of Montbéliard, who granted it a charter in 1307. Passing later to the archdukes of Austria, it was ceded by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (Aix-la-Chapelle, Treaty of) (1648) to Louis XIV, who gave it to Cardinal Mazarin. Because it controlled the strategic Trouée (Gap) de Belfort, between the Vosges and the Jura, the town was often besieged. In World War I it was successfully defended by the French, but it was occupied by the Germans in World War II. Its fortified old quarter, on the east bank of the Savoureuse, contains the castle and public buildings. In front of the hôtel de ville (1721–24) is F.A. Bartholdi's majestic statue, the Lion of Belfort (36 feet [11 metres] high, 72 feet [22 metres] long), which commemorates the 104-day siege of the Franco-German War (1870–71). Belfort is an important centre for electro-metallurgical industries, manufacturing products such as turbines and railway rolling stock. The recent development of plastics and electronics industries has helped diversify the industrial structure as has the growth of services, including tourism. A centre for higher education, Belfort is home to the University of Franche-Comté. Pop. (1999) 50,417; (2005 est.) 50,700.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Belfort — Belfort …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Belfort — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Belfort Escudo …   Wikipedia Español

  • Belfort — (spr. befōr), Hauptstadt des franz. Territoriums B. (s. unten, S. 591) und Festung erster Klasse, liegt 365 m ü. M., am südlichen Fuß der Vogesen, an der Savoureuse, und ist Knotenpunkt der Lyoner und der Ostbahn. B. besteht aus der Zitadelle mit …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • BELFORT — BELFORT, capital of the territory of Belfort, eastern France. A grant of privilege conferred on the city in 1307 authorized Jewish residence. Persecutions of Jews living in Belfort are recorded in 1336. They were subsequently expelled and… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Belfort — Belfort, comuna francesa situada en el departamento del territorio de Belfort y la région Franco Condado. La situación geográfica de Belfort cerca de Alemania, hizo que la comuna fuera escenario de bombardeos durante las dos guerras mundiales. *… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Belfort — v. de France, 51 913 hab., ch. l. du Territoire de Belfort (dép., 610 km²; 134 097 hab. V. Franche Comté [Rég.]). Située entre les Vosges et le Jura (trouée de Belfort ou porte de Bourgogne), la v. soutint plusieurs sièges, notam. celui de 1870 …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Belfort — C est en Guadeloupe que le nom est le plus répandu (variante : Belford). En principe, il évoque une localité appelée Belfort (ou Beaufort), toponyme très répandu en France (= la belle forteresse) …   Noms de famille

  • Belfort — Belfort, 1) Hochgericht im Zehngerichtenbunde des Schweizercantons Bündten; 400 Ew.; 2) District u. Stadt, so v.w. Befort …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Belfort — (Béfort, spr. befohr), Festung 1. Ranges und Hauptstadt des franz. Arrond. oder Territoire de B. (608 qkm, 1901: 92.304 E.), an der Savoureuse, 32.567 E.; Sperre der Trouée de B. (Senkung zwischen Vogesen und Jura); seit Nov. 1870 von den… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Belfort — (Belfor), Bez. Hauptst. im franz. Depart. Oberrhein, an der Savoureuse, mit 7800 E., Obertribunal, Handelsgericht, mehreren Eisenhämmern u. Hochöfen. Hauptplatz des Handels zwischen Frankreich, Deutschland und der Schweiz. Starke Festung …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Belfort — [bel fō̂r′] city in Alsace, E France: pop. 50,000 …   English World dictionary

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