====== Besançon ======
===== The Main Watch Town in France =====
Besançon is the most important watch city of France. Here the majority of the entire watch production in France was processed, in particular in the 19th century.

In [[1881]] from the 47,332 inhabitants, 13,000 were employed in the watch manufacturing and annually produced 335,000 watches, including approximately 114,000 in [[gold]].

Besançon attracted international attention in [[1973]] as the scene of an experiment of "solidary economy" Because the workers of the watch factory [[Lip]] were afraid for their jobs, they occupied the plant and took over the production. In [[1975]] the project was closed by the authorities.

===== The Astronomical Clock of Besançon =====
A well known attraction, built between [[1858]] and [[1860]] by Auguste-Lucien Vérité, is the astronomical clock in the tower of Saint-Jean Cathedral. It is unusual that this clock works both as a clock tower as well as [[astronomical watch|astronomical clock]].

===== Weblinks =====
  * [[http://en.franche-comte.org/offre/fiche/time-museum/312001013|The Time Museum in Besançon]]
  * [[http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/astronomical-clock-besancon|The Astronomical Clock of Besançon]], www.atlasobscura.com
  * [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_clock_(Besan%C3%A7on)|The Astronomical Clock of Besançon]], Wikipedia


{{tag>Watch_towns}}