On 31 August 1884, Besançon town council inaugurated a decorative fountain on the Place de la Cassotte. At the top of this fountain sits the statue of the goddess Flore by Besançon sculptor Just Becquet.
In the spring of 1897, the Chaprais tram line passed right by Flore.
During the Second World War, the statue was torn from its base to be recast: the German occupiers needed non-ferrous metals for their war industry.
But flore was hollow and of little value. In response to protests from the local population and the town council, it was reinstalled in 1942.
On 25 December 1952, the last tram in Besançon passed through Flore.
In November 1954, La Fontaine was demolished to make way for the car, and Flore began a long journey that would take it to Palente and then back to Place Flore. But in 1912, in preparation for the new tram line, she had to be moved again, to Place de la Liberté to await the return of the tram. At the end of 2013, it returned and in January 2014 saw the first test train of the new tram pass by.
So we're celebrating both Flore's 140th birthday and the 10th anniversary of the new tram.
Dates
Opening periods
Saturday 31 August 2024, from 11am to 11.30am, at the foot of the Flore statue, Place Flore, Besançon.