Montbéliard, in the Doubs department of France, is a pretty town with a gigantic castle and a history all of its own. One of the mighty towers in the town 60 kilometers west of Basel is reminiscent of Henriette von Mömpelgard. Through her marriage to Count Eberhard IV of Württemberg in 1397, the county came under Württemberg administration and after Henriette’s death in 1444 finally became part of Württemberg.
Only in 1793 did Mömpelgard go to France. The 400 years of Württemberg still shape the city today, says Evelyne Boileaux, who was born in Montbéliard 64 years ago.
The colossal castle with the two mighty towers from the Middle Ages and Renaissance was barracks and hospital and is now a museum. Here visitors can get closer to the history of Montbéliard and also learn why the castle gardens are currently inhabited by rubber dinosaurs. Blame it on Frédéric Georges Cuvier, “the French Darwin”, according to Evelyne. Born in Montbéliard in 1773, Cuvier devoted himself to paleontology and the study of animal species.
As a Lutheran, the scientist also campaigned for the introduction of compulsory schooling throughout France, as he knew from Montbéliard, says the proud Mömpelgarderin Evelyne.
She is also proud of the style-defining buildings by the Württemberg Renaissance master builder Heinrich Schickhardt, who was commissioned by Duke Friedrich I to expand the residential town of Mömpelgard after the number of residents had swelled due to immigration.
The dukes professed the Lutheran faith, and the Principality of Mömpelgard became a Protestant enclave in predominantly Catholic France. As a result, many Huguenots found refuge in Montbéliard during the persecution by Louis XIV.
Duke Leopold Eberhard also settled Mennonites in previously expropriated farms. The hard-working Anabaptists brought cattle from the Simmental to their new home and crossed them with local animals. The resulting Montbéliard cow not only supplies the milk for the famous Comte cheese, but also the meat for the crispy, spicy Montbéliard sausage.
Today, the medieval town has around 25,000 inhabitants, many of whom have German-sounding names. There are inviting cafés and restaurants, original little shops, but also a lot of empty space behind colorful facades. In front of the Protestant Church of St. Martin, people are digging, inside wall paintings from Schickhardt’s time are being uncovered. Evelyne would have liked to show us the inside of this church. After all, St. Martin is the oldest church in France that was built specifically for Protestants – by Heinrich Schickhardt after his trip to Italy.
After so much history, it’s time for a trip to the present, to Sochaux, a suburb of Montbéliard. There (almost) everything is Peugeot. The huge Peugeot factory site dominates the place, and the L’Aventure Peugeot museum is not just for car lovers.
Evelyne grew up with the car factory. Her father worked at Peugeot for 40 years. “When I was little, I went on vacation with Peugeot,” she says. “Back then, everything was Peugeot, including the school.” The company literally accompanied its employees from the cradle to the grave.
Because the Protestant Peugeots were very committed, politically and socially. But that has changed, remarks Evelyne critically. Peugeot is now called Stellantis, and those responsible no longer live on site. Many departments were outsourced to cheap countries. And instead of 40,000 people as in 1970, only 8,000 work in the plant today.
L’Aventure Peugeot takes you back to the good old days and shows everything Peugeot made besides cars – coffee machines, pepper mills, bicycles. But above all the beautiful limousines from the 1920s and the models of today attract attention.
However, the vintage car that awaits us outside in the blazing sun for a drive is an old delivery van. “A Renault from 1958”, Jean-Luc Tissot – slim, gray stubble hair, gray beard – introduces himself and the cornflower blue car.
Denis Pechin climbs in with us, his pants are held up by suspenders over his plump stomach. He worked at Peugeot and, like Jean-Luc, is a pensioner. Both are involved in the “Vieux Volants Franc-Comtois” association and like to drive tourists around, preferably to the vantage point on Fort Mont Bart.
Our classic car has an open top through which the sun is beating down and of course no air conditioning. We sometimes miss the seat belts on the winding roads. But we’re not going too fast either. The car can do a maximum of 85 kilometers per hour, says Jean-Luc, even if the number on the speedometer is 105.
And yes, the classic car is a real gas guzzler with 15 liters per 100 kilometers. This is probably one of the reasons why he was unsuccessful against the competition of the Renault 4C.
And then we’re already back in Montbéliard – after an enjoyable break in the forest and after Dennis has told many a story about the area and Peugeot. Also about Ferdinand Porsche, who during the war was responsible for the fact that parts of the V1 rockets were manufactured in the Peugeot factory and who, after acts of sabotage, took over the management of the Peugeot Group together with Anton Piech.
Less than a year later, the partial destruction of the plant by air raids and the advance of the Allies ended this hostile takeover.
There are a few houseboats in the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, and mobile homes are also welcome right next to them. On the banks of the river Doubs it is green and blooming, a fountain is splashing. The landscape gardeners of the sister city of Ludwigsburg have once again planted many flowers in the park – like the rubber dinosaurs upstairs in the castle courtyard.
The jumelage between Montbéliard and Ludwigsburg in 1952 was the first Franco-German town twinning after the Second World War, says Evelyne, and how important it is that everyone here should be able to speak German. After all, Evelyne’s daughter teaches German.
How to get there: Monbéliard can be easily reached by car via Mulhouse, but also by train (TGV station Belfort-Montbéliard). Buses run from there.
Accommodation: There are several cheap three-star hotels in the center, including the Brit Hotel Bristol Montbéliard Centre, double room from 75 euros, https://bristol-montbeliard.brithotel.com/
Sights: The Castle with the Cuvier Natural History Gallery, entry 6 euros. The Aventure Peugeot in Sochaux is not only worth seeing for car fans, admission 10 euros, family ticket 26 euros, https://laventure-association.com.
The two-hour vintage tour (Balade en voiture ancienne) can be booked at the tourist information office. Costs for a maximum of three people 100 euros plus 15 euros registration fee. Knowledge of French is helpful.
Information: Pays de Montbéliard Tourisme, 1 Rue Henri Moulot, 25200 Montbéliard, Tel. 0033/381/944560, www.paysdemontbeliard-tourisme.com