Situated in the east of France and the east of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, it shares a border with Switzerland of almost 170 km and most of its territory is located in theJura Mountains. Its highest point is theMont d'Or (1,463 m), and the three main rivers that flow through it are the Doubs, theOgnon and theLoue.
Economically, the Doubs département is one of the most industrialised in France, specialising in car manufacturing with the historic location of thePeugeot plant (Stellantis group) inSochaux,metalworking and food processing. The Doubs is also home to many companies in themicrotechnology sector, as well as being the historic cradle of the French watchmaking industry. Its agriculture, mainly focused on livestock and milk production, is symbolised by cheeses such ascomté,mont d'or,morbier, andcancoillotte, and bycharcuteries such asMorteau sausage, Montbéliard sausage, and smoked ham.
As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the northern two-thirds of Doubs spokeFranc-Comtois, a dialect of thelangues d'oïl. Residents of the southern third of Doubs spoke a dialect of theArpitan language. Both languages co-existed with French, the official language of law and commerce, and continued to be spoken frequently in rural areas into the 20th century. They are both still spoken today but not on a daily basis.
Doubs is one of the original 83 departments created during theFrench Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province ofFranche-Comté. Theprefecture (capital) isBesançon.
In 1793, the republic ofMandeure was annexed by France and incorporated into the department. This district was passed between various territories and departments in the ensuing administrative reorganisations and wars, but was restored to Doubs in 1816 when the former principality ofMontbéliard was also added to the department.
Hoffmann, Michael,Die französischen Konservativen in der katholischen Provinz Parteigenese und politische Kultur im Doubs (1900–1930) (Frankfurt am Main u.a., Peter Lang, 2008) (Moderne Geschichte und Politik, 22).
_(adjusted).jpg)
.JPG)
