Belfort
[key], city, capital of the Territory of Belfort (a department), E France,
in Alsace. An important industrial and transportation center, it has large
cotton mills and metalworks. A major fortress town since the 17th cent., it
commands the Belfort Gap, or Burgundy Gate, between the Vosges and the Jura
mts., thus dominating the roads from France, Switzerland, and Germany. An
Austrian possession, Belfort passed to France by the Peace of Westphalia
(1648) and was fortified by Vauban. During the Franco-Prussian War
(1870–71) the garrison withstood a siege of 108 days. Partly in
acknowledgment of this heroism, the Germans left Belfort and the surrounding
territory to France when they annexed the rest of Alsace. The many Alsatians
who then took refuge in the town contributed significantly to its industrial
growth. The siege is commemorated by a huge statue, the Lion of
Belfort, by Bartholdi.
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