Historically, Dole has been a relatively wealthy community and was in fact the capital city of its own little country, Franche-Comté, until the year1674 came around. Ultimately conquered by Louis XIV, Dole fought long and hard over the years in defense of its independence. First, the city was besieged unsuccessfully by Louis XI in 1479 and then again by Louis XIII in 1636 still without success. Finally brought to its knees by Louis XIV, Dole (and its wealth) was incorporated into the French crown by the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1674 when the region was annexed to France. Almost immediately the parliament was transferred to Besançon along with the university that had been founded by Philip the Good of Burgundy in 1422. To the Victor go the spoils, blah, blah, blah...
Today, Dole, located on the Doubs river and the Rhone-Rhine canal , half way between Dijon and Besançon (about 27 miles), is in the Jura department of the Franche-Comté region of eastern France with a population of around 24,000. Perhaps the most famous resident of Dole was Louis Pasteur the microbiologist and chemist whose name is forever associated with the pasteurization of milk and other food products.More pictures here.
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