Nestled between the Jura and Vosges mountains in the Franche-Comte region of eastern France, the town of Montbeliard is situated a mere 17 kilometers from the border of Switzerland, north of the Canal du Rhone au Rhin. A settled area since the 8th century, the town is truly ancient and is home to the spectacular Chateau de Montbelieard, a onetime residence of the Dukes of Wurttemberg that today is listed by the French Ministry of Culture as a monument historique.

Today, Montbeliard relies on manufacturing as its main industry, but is worth a stop on any trip through the region, thanks to its many cheerfully colored Renaissance-era homes, the St-Maimboeuf Church and the Place St-Martin, which is crowned by the 16th century Temple St-Martin – the oldest Protestant church in the country. Although the town’s ancient citadel was destroyed in the 1600s, the site today provides an excellent vantage point from which to view the entire city.