Belfort, city in east central France, capital of Territoire de Belfort Department, on the Savoureuse River, in the Franche-Comté region, near Switzerland and Germany. Belfort is a wine-trade center and has industries producing textiles, electrical equipment, and chemicals. In the city is the Lion of Belfort (1880), a large statue by the French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, that commemorates a long siege there during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871).
Belfort is strategically important because it lies in the Trouée de Belfort, a pass between the Vosges and Jura mountain ranges. Ceded to France by Austria in 1648, Belfort withstood many sieges, but it was occupied by the Germans in World War II (1939-1945). Population (1999) 50,417.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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