Briançon

Briançon was the Brigantium of the Romans and formed part of the kingdom of King Cottius. Brigantium was marked as the first place in Gallia after Alpis Cottia (Mont Genèvre). At Brigantium the road branched, to the west through Grenoble to Vienna (modern Vienne), on the Rhone; to the south through Ebrodunum (modern Embrun), to Vapincum (modern Gap). Both the Antonine Itinerary and the Table give the route from Brigantium to Vapincum. The Table places Brigantium 6 M.P. from Alpis Cottia. Strabo[3] mentions the village Brigantium, and on a road to Alpis Cottia, but his words are obscure. Ptolemy mentions Brigantium as within the limits of the Segusini, or people of Segusio (modern Susa), in Piedmont; but it seems, as D'Anville observes, to be beyond the natural limits of the Segusini. Walckenaer (vol. i. p. 540) justifies Ptolemy in this matter by supposing that he follows a description of Italy made before the new divisions of Augustus, which we know from Pliny. Walckenaer also supports his justification of Ptolemy by the Jerusalem Itinerary, which makes the Alpes Cottiae commence at Rama (near modern La Roche-de-Rame) between Embrun and Briançon.

In the 1040s it came into the hands of the counts of Albon and thenceforth shared the fate of the Dauphiné. The Briançonnais included not merely the upper valley of the Durance (with those of its affluents, the Gyronde and the Guil), but also the valley of the Dora Riparia (Césanne, Oulx, Bardonnèche and Exilles), and that of the Chisone (Fénestrelles, Pérouse, Pragelas)—these glens all lying on the eastern slope of the chain of the Alps. But by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) all these valleys were handed over to Savoy in exchange for that of Barcelonnette, on the west slope of the Alps. In 1815 Briançon successfully withstood a siege of three months at the hands of the Allies, a feat which is commemorated by an inscription on one of its gates, Le passé répond de l'avenir.

Briançon is located near the Italian border, in the Serre Chevalier ski area. It is built on a plateau centred on the confluence of the Durance and the Guisane rivers. Briançon station has rail connections to Gap, Marseille, Valence and Paris.

The citadel of Briançon.

The historical centre is a strongly fortified town, built by Vauban to defend the region from Austrians in the 17th century. Its streets are very steep and narrow, though picturesque. Briançon lies at the foot of the descent from the Col de Montgenèvre, giving access to Turin, so a great number of other fortifications have been constructed on the surrounding heights, especially towards the east. The Fort Janus is no less than 1,200 m. above the town.

The parish church, with its two towers, was built 1703–1726, and occupies a very conspicuous position.

The Pont d'Asfeld, east of the town, was built in 1734, and forms an arch of 40 m span, thrown at a height of 56 m across the Durance.

The modern town extends in the plain at the southwest foot of the plateau on which the old town is built and forms the suburb of Ste Catherine.

Briançon is close to the Parc National des Ecrins and the Vallée de la Clarée.

On 8 July 2008, several buildings of Briançon were classified by the UNESCO as World Heritage Sites, as part of the "Fortifications of Vauban" group. These buildings are: the city walls, Redoute des Salettes, Fort des Trois-Têtes, Fort du Randouillet, ouvrage de la communication Y and the Asfeld Bridge. Along with Briançon, 11 other sites of fortified buildings in France were classified. Among them is the place-forte of Mont-Dauphin, also in the Hautes-Alpes department. These pieces of art were designed by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633–1707), a military engineer of King Louis XIV.

The following people were either born in Briançon or lived there for a significant portion of their lives.

Jean-Antoine Morand, ca.1770

• Aymon de Briançon (died 1211) a Burgundian nobleman, Carthusian monk and Archbishop of Tarentaise
• Oronce Finé (1494–1555), mathematician and cartographer
• Jean-Antoine Morand (1727–1794) architect and urban planner, he was guillotined
• Augustin Chenu (1833–1875), painter, known for his local landscapes and hunting scenes.
• Albert Achard (1894–1972) a flying ace of the First World War
• Emilie Carles (1900–1979), a French writer and activist.
• Frédérique Lucien (born 1960), a visual artist, works in drawing, painting and ceramics.
• Jean-Christophe Keck (born 1964) musicologist, conductor and specialist on Jacques Offenbach
• Xavier Mortimer (born 1980), magician and variety performer in Las Vegas

Sport

Pierre Vaultier, 2017

• Jules Melquiond (born 1941), Alpine ski racer
• Henry Bréchu (born 1947), Alpine ski racer
• Luc Alphand (born 1965), Alpine ski racer and a race car driver.
• Benjamin Melquiond (born 1975), Alpine ski racer
• Nicolas Bonnet (born 1984), ski mountaineer and runner.
• Pierre Vaultier (born 1987) a snowboard cross twice gold medallist at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics
• Laure Barthélémy (born 1988), cross-country skier and soldier
• Richard Jouve (born 1994), cross-country skier, twice team bronze medallist at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics

Briançon is twinned with:

• Rosenheim, Germany
• Susa, Italy

• Communes of the Hautes-Alpes department

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Coolidge, William Augustus Brevoort (1911). "Briançon". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). p. 515.
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Briançon.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Briançon".

• About the city of Briançon (in French and German)
• Tourist office website (in French)
• Unofficial town website (in French)
• Webpage about the fortifications Archived 30 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
• Briançon dans le Tour de France