The Territoire de Belfort is France’s smallest department by area, a landlocked territory situated between Alsace, Franche-Comté and Switzerland, which owes its existence to the heroic resistance of its garrison during the siege of 1870–1871. Whilst Alsace and Moselle were annexed by the German Empire, Belfort and its territory were retained by France in recognition of the fierce defence led by Colonel Denfert-Rochereau over 103 days.
Vauban’s citadel, perched on its rock and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the major Vauban sites, overlooks the town and the Lion of Belfort, carved from the pink sandstone of the Vosges by Bartholdi — the same artist who created the Statue of Liberty in New York. This lion, 11 metres high and 22 metres long, is the symbol of Belfort’s resistance and the emblem of the department.
Belfort, a former garrison town that has become an industrial centre — the Alstom TGV was born here — also boasts a history and art museum housed within the citadel, and the village of Rougemont-le-Château, with its medieval castle, bears witness to a heritage that extends beyond Vauban’s monuments alone, forming part of the long history of this crossroads between Alsace and Franche-Comté.