Pontarlier

{{More citations needed section|date=December 2020}}

Pontarlier occupies the ancient Roman station of Ariolica, in Gallia and is placed in the Tables on the road from Urba (modern Orbe, Canton Vaud, Switzerland), to Vesontio (modern Besançon). Although the distances in the Antonine Itinerary do not agree with the real distances, French geographer D'Anville recognized a transposition of the numbers. The Theodosian Tabula names the place "Abrolica", which William Smith states as a possible error of transcription.{{Cite DGRG|title=Ariolica|volume=1|page=215}}

After the Burgundian invasion in the 5th century, Pontarlier became an unavoidable way of trade from the kingdom of Burgundy to Switzerland, Germany or Lombardy. Until the 17th century it lay on the easiest way to cross Jura mountains.

Pontarlier is one of the staging posts from northern France, Britain and the Benelux countries for the Via Francigena, now a walking route to Rome with a starting point in Canterbury, England. It is recorded as being the stop on day 57 of Sigeric the Serious, the then Archbishop of Canterbury on his return from Rome in 990 AD, having been given his pallium, or token of rank. Discussion continues as to whether he came over the Jura from the direction of Yverdon-les-Bains to the south-east or through a valley from Jougne to the south.

The city of Pontarlier is briefly mentioned in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. It was to this city that convict Jean Valjean was to report for his parole after being released from the galleys. Breaking these instructions is a major turning point in the novel, and also creates some major conflict for Valjean later in the story. The city is also the main location of the 1962 French film The Seventh Juror.

Pontarlier was famous for the production of absinthe until its ban in 1915. The distilleries switched over to producing a particular type of pastis, the "Pontarlier". With the ban partially lifted in the 1990s, Pontarlier distilleries are once again producing absinthe.

{{Historical populations

|align = none

|cols = 2

|percentages = pagr

|source = EHESS{{Cassini-Ehess|27494|Pontarlier}} and INSEE (1968-2017)[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-25462#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE

|graph-pos = bottom

|1793 |3348

|1800 |3771

|1806 |3526

|1821 |4254

|1831 |4707

|1836 |4922

|1841 |4965

|1846 |5136

|1851 |4953

|1856 |4909

|1861 |5007

|1866 |4945

|1872 |4975

|1876 |5714

|1881 |6118

|1886 |8098

|1891 |7187

|1896 |7577

|1901 |7963

|1906 |8776

|1911 |9439

|1921 |10203

|1926 |11827

|1931 |11984

|1936 |12840

|1946 |12722

|1954 |13768

|1962 |15382

|1968 |16442

|1975 |17983

|1982 |17781

|1990 |18104

|1999 |18360

|2007 |18939

|2012 |17631

|2017 |17197

}}

The commune has a railway station, {{stn|Pontarlier}}, on the Frasne–Les Verrières and Neuchâtel–Pontarlier lines between France and Switzerland.

{{category see also|People from Pontarlier}}

• Sébastien Rale (1652-1724), missionary and lexicographer
• Charles Antoine Morand, Napoleonic general
• {{ill|Henri-Louis Pernod|fr}}, distiller
• Edgar Faure, member of the Académie française, president of the city council, and mayor
• Philippe Grenier, physician and first Muslim member of French parliament
• Xavier Marmier, writer and poet
• Robert Fernier, painter
• {{ill|Pierre Bichet|fr}}, painter
• Vincent Defrasne, biathlete
• Florence Baverel-Robert, biathlete

File:Pontarlier4.jpg|248x248px]]

File:Pontarlier - église Saint-Bénigne.JPG

• Triumphal arch of the Porte Saint-Pierre (18th century)
• Stained glass created in 1976 by painter Alfred Manessier in the Church of Saint-Bénigne, a 17th-century church that blends Romanesque, Gothic, and Franc-Comtois architectural styles. Originally built in the 11th century, it was largely rebuilt between 1651 and 1666 after being damaged during the Thirty Years' War. The church features a distinctive bell tower topped with an imperial dome, typical of the region. It remains an active place of worship and a historical monument.
• Fort de Joux (between 11th and 19th century)

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}

Pontarlier is twinned with:

• {{flagicon|SUI}} Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland{{cite web|url=http://www.asccre.ch/fr/N208/vaud-waadt-vaud.html|title=Association Suisse des Communes et Régions d'Europe|access-date=2013-07-20|work=L'Association suisse pour le Conseil des Communes et Régions d'Europe (ASCCRE)|language=fr|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724051705/http://www.asccre.ch/fr/N208/vaud-waadt-vaud.html|archive-date=2012-07-24}}
• {{flagicon|GER}} Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
• {{flagicon|ESP}} Zarautz, Spain

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Pontarlier (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–present)

|Jan record high C = 20.1

|Feb record high C = 21.5

|Mar record high C = 24.9

|Apr record high C = 27.0

|May record high C = 33.0

|Jun record high C = 35.0

|Jul record high C = 38.0

|Aug record high C = 37.0

|Sep record high C = 32.8

|Oct record high C = 29.4

|Nov record high C = 23.5

|Dec record high C = 20.3

|Jan record low C = -32.0

|Feb record low C = -26.2

|Mar record low C = -21.7

|Apr record low C = -10.8

|May record low C = -6.0

|Jun record low C = -2.0

|Jul record low C = 0.8

|Aug record low C = 0.1

|Sep record low C = -3.3

|Oct record low C = -9.7

|Nov record low C = -16.4

|Dec record low C = -23.2

|Jan high C = 4.6

|Feb high C = 5.7

|Mar high C = 9.8

|Apr high C = 13.6

|May high C = 17.3

|Jun high C = 21.2

|Jul high C = 23.5

|Aug high C = 23.5

|Sep high C = 19.1

|Oct high C = 15.0

|Nov high C = 8.8

|Dec high C = 5.1

| year high C = 13.9

|Jan mean C = 0.5

|Feb mean C = 1.0

|Mar mean C = 4.6

|Apr mean C = 7.9

|May mean C = 11.8

|Jun mean C = 15.4

|Jul mean C = 17.5

|Aug mean C = 17.3

|Sep mean C = 13.4

|Oct mean C = 9.8

|Nov mean C = 4.6

|Dec mean C = 1.3

| year mean C = 8.8

|Jan low C = -3.6

|Feb low C = -3.7

|Mar low C = -0.6

|Apr low C = 2.2

|May low C = 6.2

|Jun low C = 9.7

|Jul low C = 11.4

|Aug low C = 11.1

|Sep low C = 7.7

|Oct low C = 4.6

|Nov low C = 0.3

|Dec low C = -2.5

| year low C = 3.6

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 115.3

|Feb precipitation mm = 105.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 107.5

|Apr precipitation mm = 105.0

|May precipitation mm = 139.9

|Jun precipitation mm = 124.5

|Jul precipitation mm = 123.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 121.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 113.6

|Oct precipitation mm = 128.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 131.4

|Dec precipitation mm = 147.7

|year precipitation mm = 1463.6

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 12.9

| Feb precipitation days = 11.8

| Mar precipitation days = 11.9

| Apr precipitation days = 12.2

| May precipitation days = 14.9

| Jun precipitation days = 12.3

| Jul precipitation days = 12.1

| Aug precipitation days = 11.1

| Sep precipitation days = 10.7

| Oct precipitation days = 13.0

| Nov precipitation days = 12.8

| Dec precipitation days = 14.0

| year precipitation days =149.7

|source 1 = Meteociel{{cite web

|url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=25462001

|title=Normales et records pour Pontarlier (25)

|publisher=Meteociel

|access-date=21 November 2024}}}}

• Communes of the Doubs department

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Pontarlier}}

• [http://www.ville-pontarlier.fr/ City council website] {{in lang|fr}}
• [http://www.aeroclub-pontarlier.org/ Aeroclub of Pontarlier WebSite] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Doubs communes}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Communes of Doubs

Category:Subprefectures in France

Category:Sequani