Quaint Besançon

Here are a few observations of the quaint in Besançon The Cathedral's Astronomical clock:" Instead of astrolabe and tellurium, the clock features 70 dials, showing 122 indications; among them the local time of 17 places over the world, times and height (!) of the tides in 8 different French ports, perpetual calendar, leap year cycles, times of sunrise and sunset" and also various figures that dance around on the hour. "All this is driven by a mechanism consisting of more than 30,000 pieces, which also transfers the time to the cathedral's tower clock."

A neo-Moorish synagogue, distinguishable from a mosque by absence of minarets and presence of Hebrew tablets

 

 

A museum of 3 floors wholly devoted to clocks. I bet Paul Keating has spent quality time here!

 

 "The centre of the French watchmaking industry in the French Jura was founded by Swiss refugees. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, Napoleon invaded Switzerland and installed a centralist regime, dissolving the old cantonal constitution. This was followed by a period of unrest and religious conflict, during which many watchmakers sought their safety in France, especially in the region of Besançon. Around 1900, two thirds of all French timepieces were produced in this city, which secured more than 12,000 jobs."

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