esearch concerning the origins of Pontarlier remain uncertain. Archeological digs carried out at the entrance to the town at Chaux d'Arlier however, attest to the fact that there was indeed human occupation as early as the Bronze Age. (2000 av.jc).

    As early as the Middle Ages, the Roman Way became the road of monarchs and Pontarlier which is located on the route from Saint-Maurice d'Agaune (in the Swiss Valais region) to Saint-Benigne in Dijon, was certainly a stop on this route.

      Pontarlier was especially marked during the 19th century by the development of absinthe distilleries.

      In the early 1900s, the local economy was upset by two economic crisises, the prohibition of absinthe in 1915 and the departure of the Zedel automobile industry in 1924. The economy was rectified later thanks to its geogrphical position as a border town (10km from Switzerland).

      Recent developments in tourism during all four seasons has assured Pontarlier a new place in France as well as in the European Community.

      Located at an altitude of 837 meters, the "Capitol of the Haut-Doubs" has become a necessary stopover on the road from Besançon to Lausanne.

 
The Museum of Pontarlier: