A more expansive view from the Citadelle shows the cut of the Doubs River circling to the left and the city across the river to the north. The bridge in the lower right is the repaired rail link across the Doubs. Besancon had a population of 80,000 at the start of the war. Dating to the days of the Roman Legions, the city is the birthplace of Victor Hugo. The Germans occupied the Citadelle between 1940 and 1944 and executed as many as 100 resistance fighters there.
