Haute-Saône is a department located in the
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. It was named after the Saône River that flows through the area. The department was created during the French Revolution by applying a law dated 22 December 1789 and was formed from part of the former province of Franche-Comté. The prefecture city of Haute-Saône is Vesoul, and its sole sub-prefecture is Lure. The department has a significant mining and industrial past, being involved in coal, salt, iron, lead-silver-copper mines, bituminous shale, stationery, spinning, weaving, forges, foundries, tileries, and mechanical factories.
Haute-Saône is bordered by several departments, including Côte-d'Or to the west, Haute-Marne to the northwest, Vosges to the north, Territoire de Belfort to the east, Doubs to the south and east, and Jura to the south. The department can be presented as a transitional territory between several of the more depressed departments of eastern France and the so-called Blue Banana zone. This zone is characterised by relatively strong economic growth in recent decades.
The entire
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region is popular with
German and
Dutch buyers being in easy reach by car, while not too far from cities such
Paris, Macon and Lyon.