Né vers la fin du ix e s. avec la construction d'un château sur un éperon dominant le cours de l'Allan et de la Lizaine, Montbéliard s'est développé un contact des influences des mondes bourguignon et germanique et est devenu au xiv e s. un pôle commercial et religieux. La seconde enceinte du xv e s est le reflet de sa prospérité : elle a englobé le bourg castral primitif, le bourg de la Halle et celui de Saint-Martin.Les fouilles entreprises en 1993-1994 à l'occasion de la construction d'un centre commercial dans le quartier de Velotte, dans le faubourg Saint-Martin ont permis de retracés, au fil de sept grands états successifs, l'évolution architecturale du bâti et du système de défense urbain. Elles éclairent aussi quelques aspects de la vie quotidienne et sociale des habitants de ce quartier intra muros dont le caractère « campagnard » a perduré jusqu'au dernier quart du xix e s.The history of Montbeliard began in the late 9 th century with the construction of a castle on a rocky spur overlooking the Allan and the Lizaine rivers. The city developed as a result of contact with both Burgundian and Germanic culture and by the end of the 14 th century had become a commercial and religious centre. The second defensive wall, built in the 15 th century is a reflection of the city's prosperity, encircling as it does the original castle, through as well as the two districts of La Halle and Saint-Martin.Excavation work undertaken in 1993-1994 prior to the construction of a shopping centre in the Velotte quarter of the Saint-Martin district has enabled archeologists to define seven build periods of architectural development covering both buildings and the urban defense system. This work has also shed light on various aspects of daily and social life as experienced by the inhabitants of this area within the city walls the bucolic character of which remained intact up to the final quarter of the 19 th century.SYLVIE CANTRELLE (DIR.
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