Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Besançon is a French city, in the département of Doubs, of which it is the préfecture. Population (1999): 122,308. Its Latin name was Vesontio. The city's fortifications were upgraded by Vauban. The city is famous for its microtechnology and watch industries. Famous people born in Besançon include: Victor Hugo (1802-1885) - Writer and poet Tristan Bernard (1866-1947) - Journalist and Humorist Hilaire de Chardonnet (1838-1924) - Inventor of artificial silk Charles Fourier (1772-1837) - Inventor of socialist "phalansteries" (vast communal buildings surrounded by a highly cultivated agricultural area) Claude Goudimel (1510-1572) - Musician, Teacher of Palestrina. Composer of the music for Protestant hymns Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle (1517-1586) - Cardinal, statesman and humanist. Counsellor of Charles V, Viceroy of Naples Auguste and Louis Lumiere, (1862-1954) and (1864-1948) - Inventors of cinematography Charles Nodier (1780-1844) - Writer. Leader of the Romantic movement Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-1865)- Journalist (Le Peuple) and author of world-renowned socialist theories Jean Claude Eugene Peclet, physicist, gave his name to the Péclet number Louis-Jean Résal (1854-1920) - Engineer who built the Pont Mirabeau and the Pont Alexandre III in Paris This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.