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Briançon (Municipality, Hautes-Alpes, France)

by Arnaud Leroy

Presentation of Briançon
Municipal flag of Briançon

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Presentation of Briançon

The municipality of Briançon (12,000 inhabitants), located in the upper valley of the river Durance, is the sous-préfecture of the department of Hautes-Alpes. The center of the city is located at an elevation of 1,326 m a.s.l., which makes of Briançon the highest city in Europe. Briançon is located only 15 km from the border with Italy, 120 km from Grenoble and Turin.

The site of Briançon is the confluency of the five valleys of Durance, Clarée, Guisane, Cerveyrette and les Ayes. It was settled by the Celto-Ligurian tribe of Brigiani, which gave their name to the Roman city of Brigantio. The Celtic root *brig means elevated place.

In the Middle-Ages, Briançon was nominally part of the state of Dauphiné. Briançon progressively conquered its independence and signed in 1343 the "Great Transaction" with the Dauphin. This chart of rights was preserved until the French Revolution, even after the "Transportation" of Dauphiné to the kingdom of France in 1349. The city became the seat of the bailiwick of Briançonnais and the capital city of the federation of Escartons, which grouped 52 local communities. After the establishment of the popes in Avignon, commerce developed in Briançon and international fair