Montbéliard

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Administration
Commune of Montbéliard
Country	France
Région	Franche-Comté
Département	Doubs (sous-préfecture)
Arrondissement	Montbéliard
Canton	Chief town of 2 cantons
Intercommunality	communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Montbéliard
Mayor	Louis Souvet
Statistics
Land area¹	15.01 km²
Population² (1999)	27,570
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	25388/ 25200
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).
Image:Flag of France.svg

Montbéliard is a commune in the Doubs département of the Franche-Comté région, in eastern France. It is one of the two sous-préfectures of the département.

Population (1999): 27,570. Internal agglomeration: 123,000. External agglomeration: 302,000 (with the city of Belfort).

1 History
2 Economy
3 Miscellaneous
- 3.1 Births
4 External links

[edit] History

Mentioned first in 985 as Mons Beliardae, it became a county of the Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century. In 1397 Mömpelgard passed by marriage to the counts (later dukes) of Württemberg. In 1524, 10 years earlier than in Württemberg, Count Ulrich and reformer William Farel made Mömpelgard Protestant (specifically Lutheran). From 1598 to 1608, the architect Heinrich Schickhardt build several landmarks of the city, like St. Martin, a castle, a bridge, a college and several hotels.

After the French Revolution, it was briefly incorporated into the Rauracian Republic, and in 1793 Mömpelgard (German name) was annexed to France, which was confirmed in 1796 and by the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1806, when Württemberg was compensated with other areas and became a kingdom.

As a consequence of the former rule under the dukes of Württemberg, it has been for centuries one of the few Protestant (specifically Lutheran) enclaves in France.

[edit] Economy

Image:Montbeliard.jpg

The main manufacturing plant of Peugeot is partly located in Montbéliard and the industrialist Peugeot family is a protestant family from the vicinity of Montbéliard.