[Essay Today] Sebastien Boban

I arrived in Besan?on after sunset. It was raining. Decorative lights, likely installed during Christmas, illuminated the dark alleys here and there. Somewhere in the darkness, the sound of water could be heard. Fortunately, the rain had stopped by the time I finished dinner and stepped out of the hotel lobby. The year 2003 was just beginning. At that time, I was studying physical education in Cologne, Germany, supported by my newspaper company as a reporter. When the vacation came, my wife and daughter flew over. I decided to travel together. Thus began a road trip through Paris, Switzerland, and Austria. As I walked along the damp pavements of Besan?on, I had something to say to my wife and daughter. To be a proper guide on a trip, one must study in advance.

Besan?on belongs to the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comt? region of eastern France. Thanks to its rich historical and cultural heritage and unique architecture, it has been called the "City of Art and History" since 1986. Julius Caesar recorded in his "Commentarii de Bello Gallico" that he established the winter camp of his first expedition at Vesontio. Over time, the initial V changed to B, becoming Besan?on. The city was under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire, the Duchy of Burgundy, the Habsburg monarchy, and Spain, before being occupied by French forces in 1674, continuing to the present day. This history is conveyed through Adam M?ller's oil paintings and Jean Martin's tapestries.

Besan?on is neatly situated within a meander of two rivers, forming an enclosed landform known as a "meander neck" (환곡내지), similar to Yeongwol Cheongnyeongpo or Andong Hahoe Village in Korea. The old town is truly beautiful. To the southeast stands Mount Sainte-?tienne, overlooking the city. Here rises the city's symbol, the "Citadel of Besan?on." S?bastien Le Prestre de Vauban, born on May 15, 1655, in Saint-L?ger-de-Vauban, built this fortress under the orders of Louis XIV. Construction began in 1668 and was completed in 1683. It is one of about 300 urban fortresses Vauban built between 1667 and 1707. In 2008, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Vauban was skilled in both fortification and siege warfare, a man wielding both spear and shield. He constructed the Toulon naval base and dug canals. He was the first soldier in military history to utilize trenches. He served in the Flanders War in 1667, became commander of the citadel of Lille in 1668, and was promoted to Marshal of France in 1703. In 1707, Vauban proposed the "Royal Tithe Tax Reform" to Louis XIV, suggesting a tax of 5-10% on income without exemptions. He urged the king to consider the plight of the "lower classes who enrich the entire kingdom through labor, corv?e, and taxes." Vauban's proposal angered the king, and he was imprisoned despite his rank as marshal.

Vauban died in Paris on March 30 of the same year. He was buried in Bazoches and later reinterred at Les Invalides. His star-shaped fortress design philosophy influenced military architecture for generations. The Pentagon, the U.S. Department of Defense building, also features a pentagonal structure reminiscent of the fortress Vauban built in Lille. Vauban apparently liked the fortress in Lille so much that he named it the "Queen of Fortresses." It has been 17 years since I visited Besan?on. When I asked the queen of our household about old memories, she could not recall them. She only remembered the luminaire lights decorating the old town. My daughter laughed, saying it was "from the days when tigers smoked tobacco." Indeed, the guide remembers the most.

Heo Jin-seok, poet and professor at Korea National Sport University

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