Besançon Courthouse

The Courthouse, in Besançon

The Courthouse of Besançon is a fine building with a Renaissance façade, former seat of the Parliament of Franche-Comté. The Besançon audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this monument, a witness of the judicial and historic role of the town.

The former Parliament of Franche-Comté

The Courthouse of Besançon is a building laden with history. Its fine Renaissance façade, attributed to the architect Hugues Sambin, stands out by its elegance and its careful ornamentation, typical of the sixteenth century. The building was the seat of the Parliament of Franche-Comté, the high court of justice that exercised its authority over the whole province under the Ancien Régime, making Besançon a major judicial and administrative centre. Still today, the building shelters institutions of justice. A witness of the prestige and the role of Besançon in the history of Franche-Comté, the Courthouse is a remarkable monument of the heritage of the town.

What to see

You admire the fine Renaissance façade attributed to Hugues Sambin, with the elegance and careful ornamentation of the sixteenth century, former seat of the Parliament of Franche-Comté that made Besançon a major judicial centre. The Courthouse is a remarkable monument of the town. It is a stop for those curious about history, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Courthouse of Besançon lies in the heart of the old town, reachable on foot. You mainly admire its Renaissance façade from the street; it is an institutional building whose access follows its own conditions, linked to judicial activity. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

What was the Courthouse of Besançon?

The seat of the Parliament of Franche-Comté, the high court of justice of the province under the Ancien Régime; its fine Renaissance façade is attributed to the architect Hugues Sambin.

Where is the Courthouse of Besançon?

In the heart of the old town of Besançon, in France.